Danzón: The 125th Hunger Games
by CelticGames4
Summary: Love doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saints. It takes and it takes and it takes.
1. Prologue 1: In which Lux Stress-Eats

"I just… Ugh, I can't deal with this one, Mom!" Lux Hastings shoved another strawberry danish into his mouth. He was always one to eat his feelings, and today was no exception.

Saxon Hastings took a sip of coffee from her mug, glancing at her son with amused silver eyes. "I'm sure that's not true."

"She's… Ugh, she's so…" Lux buried his face in his hands. "She's _so_ …"

"I wasn't exactly the perfect announcer my first year, either." Saxon's relaxed posture tensed as the memories of the nightmare that was the 84th Games came back to her mind.

It was the year nobody talked about, for good reason. There were two co-Head Gamemakers, and by the final 6 both were dead. Saxon had walked in on their Games historian Ross trying to shake life into Santana Villanueva's dead body. It was horrible. After that, Saxon did a few more years of announcing before it became too much and she quit in favor of being a mother. Her interviewing counterpart, Blaine Buchanan, stuck with it much longer than she did. Saxon admired him for being able to do it.

"Maybe you weren't, but she's just so…" Lux tugged on his hair, frustrated. "AUGH!"

"Calm down now," Saxon said, amused. "You're all new at this, it's not going to work perfectly right away. Patience."

"Mom," whined Lux. "I'm not patient!"

"I know you're not, Honey. But these things take patience. So you're just going to have to deal."

Lux shoved yet another danish into his mouth. "It's not fair," he despaired.

"I know it's not."

"A' whe' Icci' 'ron I's 'us wos!"

"You're gonna have to say that again when your mouth isn't full, Dear."

Lux swallowed the bite that had been in his mouth and sighed. "When Piccolo's around, it's just worse."

"Things will balance out eventually. Just give it time."

"Why did they choose to hire the most rambunctious pair of twins in the entire Capitol!?" Lux shoved more food into his mouth.

"The same reason they hired Diesel Bundren, probably. Because they're damn good at what they do. No?"

"So maybe they're great at it, still though! I don't understand!"

"I know you don't." Saxon smiled affectionately at her son. "Well, call me jaded, but when I was your age, I was probably more like her than I was like you. There's a period of time where everyone's antsy and nobody knows what the dynamic is going to be like, but maybe if you all spent some time together you'd understand each other more."

"And what do you suggest? Go _camping_ together in last year's evergreen Arena? Roast _marshmallows_ over an open fire and _stargaze_ and everyone will just be all _cheery_?"

"Sure. That sounds like a fine idea."

" _Mom_!"

"Only a suggestion."

Lux shoved another pastry into his mouth and pouted.

The TV in the room was showing a rerun of the Quell announcement. President Pilotheos Blossius was standing at the podium and delivering the words Lux had memorized since they had been announced.

"For the 125th Hunger Games, as a reminder to the Districts that many people lost loved ones, the reaping age will be narrowed from 15-18, and the tributes will fall in love during their time in the Games."

This set off a lot of buzz. You couldn't just make people fall in love. It only added to Lux's stress-eating. President Blossius assured Lux that they knew what to do, but the Head Gamemaker still had no idea what he meant. They still had a little less than a year, but for Lux that wasn't enough time to figure that out. He would leave the science to the scientists.

"You'll figure it out, Dear," Saxon said. Lux gave a small nod.

"It'd probably help to be in love," Lux sighed. He'd been in love before, but nothing that had been particularly successful. He was close to thirty and hadn't found someone to settle down with, which made him nervous.

However, his mother taught him that marriage isn't necessary for happiness. Saxon was aromantic and asexual, but wanted to be a mother, so she adopted a child and loved him: and raised him: well.

"You'll put it together."

"I sure hope so." Lux sighed. "But… She punched someone… In the _face_ …"

Saxon burst out laughing. "Sounds like my kind of girl! Why?"

"They kept asking about her dead name or something."

"Oh, she went easy on 'em."

"Mom, you can't just punch people in the workplace."

"You can't just dehumanize and disrespect someone in the workplace."

Lux thought for a second, and realized that his mother was right before sighing and rubbing his temples. "You're right. I'll have to have a chat with that guy." He felt like punching that guy too, in hindsight. Lux sometimes got too worked up in professionalism, but luckily he had people there to snap him out of it. "But she always brings that stupid trombone to work with her, and you can't tell me that's justified because it's _not_."

Saxon laughed. "It helps her get into character?"

"It's. So. _Loud_ , Mom."

Saxon just laughed. "Maybe if you just loosened up a little bit it wouldn't bother you. Consider it… Working music."

"You're awfully optimistic about this."

"I know you'll find a way to make it fun."

"I want to punt that stupid hunk of brass out the window."

Saxon just laughed, causing Lux to shove another danish in his mouth. "Just be patient."

"And that stupid fucking Piccolo. I want to snap it in half, burn it, and throw the ashes out into the wind."

"I do hope you don't mean the person."

"Of course not. Although the person is so loud too. _Every day_ my ears are assaulted by that stupid march that goes like _blup bum blup bum digadiga dum dum badabada Bum BA balalalalahhh-"_

Saxon laughs louder at her son's failed attempt at trying to sing a trill. "Viridian Turner would kick your ass."

Lux sighed. He didn't know these people of whom she spoke, but most of them seemed pretty alright.

He ran his hands through the shaved sides of his hair, feeling more stressed than ever. Lux had an undercut, with the shaved sides his natural dark brown, top green and the tips silver. Combined with the dark blue contacts he wore and occasionally black glasses he didn't need, he gave off a very polished, intelligent vibe.

"I'll do _anything_ to make this Games be… Not a trainwreck."

"Even go camping with your crew?"

"Mom, that's not professional!"

"Sometimes making friends is what it takes."

Lux sighed and buried his face in his hands again. Then, he sat up and stuffed another of those wonderful strawberry danishes into his mouth.

"Fine. If that's what it takes. I'll invite them all camping and we'll try not to kill each other. No trombones, though. I mean it."

Saxon just laughed. "You should consider changing your mind."

Lux stood up, sighing. "I don't _have_ to. I'm still in charge here. I will keep order."

With that, the young Head Gamemaker gave a nod, turned around to fill his hands with whatever pastries he could carry, and quickly left the room, the door closing decisively behind him.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Welcome to Danzón: The 125**_ _ **th**_ _ **Hunger Games! I'm not gonna say too much because all of the stuff is on my profile, but the form is using Google forms so please, don't try to submit using reviews. All of the rules and such are on my profile, so just go ahead and check it out! Also, the headcanons for how the District are currently faring. So I didn't really reveal much about the Quell twist in this chapter like I meant to… Whoops. Next prologue for sure. I have more ideas. But basically, as I say on my profile, the twist is that the tributes will be injected with fast-acting hormones that will make them more vulnerable/more likely to fall in love and/or have sex. You'll see next chapter. Whenever that is. I haven't sent a deadline yet but I will eventually. We just have to see how many people submit.**_

 _ **So, if you've flown on Celtic Airlines, welcome! Please fasten your seatbelts and take note of the nearest exit. In case of an emergency, oxygen masks will come down automatically. To inflate lifejackets, pull the cord, or put the tube in your mouth to blow it up manually. Yeah, I used this joke already, fight me. Your flight attendants, Pontifex, Dawson, Vardaman, Monty, and Diesel, will be around with some complementary peanuts and beverages.**_

 _ **In all seriousness, though, I hope you consider submitting. I've already completed one full SYOT, and one partial SYOT, plus one or two HG stories with all my own tributes. If that's not enough to convince you, I dunno what is. XD**_

 _ **So, I'll probably do a sponsor system for this story, and due to inflation nowadays it'll probably be harder to get items unless you review consistently and answer chapter questions, which will probably be more in-depth this time around because I like long reviews. And it's been far too easy to sponsor. I have to find that happy medium. Also, you get 6 points for a favorite and 4 for a follow, and for each one of my stories that isn't part of the sponsor compendium that you review is 5 points a piece. If you want more points, you can go back and read Voices, ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH!, Instinctive Travels, Masque, and/or Silhouettes and answer all the C/Qs to have about a million points. Seriously, Dreamer's past 800 right now. Hence, inflation.  
**_

" _ **I'm not gonna say too much." Haha, whoops. This is just a thing that happens. I just like to talk I guess. Anyways, answer the Chapter Questions to get points so you can sponsor later on!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Okay so this is going to be more general, but: How did you like Lux? Which characters struck the most interest/would you like to see more in the next prologues?**_


	2. Prologue 2: In which Ethics Are Optional

It was a frightfully cold December day when Lux finally chose an Arena idea. It was a load off of his shoulders, but he wasn't quite at peace. Now, he was dreading the next weekend, when he would have to spend a total of forty-eight hours _straight_ with the Wallace twins. He tried to go about his business, but the sound of the yelling and instruments always threw him off. He was relieved when it was time for lunch and Piccolo and Viola skipped to the cafeteria together, their instruments left in their cases, at least for a moment.

Lux ate lunch with his secretary, Vanellope Brooke. The girl was of Asian ethnicity, with dark purple hair in loose curls. She worked very hard, and was quite bright. She always brought extra dessert to share with Lux, which made him like her, of course. Plus, she filed his papers, answered his calls for him, and made sure he was never late to an appointment with the President, which was like the cherry on top of the cake of goodness.

"So, are you ready for next weekend?" she asked, eating her petite lunch quite delicately.

Lux just stuffed his food into his mouth. Every morning he just threw some food in a bag anyways. "No," he said, sighing. "It's going to be nuts."

"Good nuts," Vanellope said, trying to be optimistic.

"I doubt it," muttered Lux.

"Oh, lighten up. It'll be better than you think. Come on, you can't be an old man _already_."

"I feel like an old man. With this workload and the President's impossible expectations, even a twenty-year-old would feel like he's fifty."

"Don't worry, Sir, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Mm. I hope so."

Lux was interrupted by a hand on the shoulder. When he looked up, he saw a man he vaguely recognized standing above him.

"So sorry to interrupt, but I have some business that's of the utmost importance, Mr. Hastings Sir."

"Oh, um, alright." Lux shoved the rest of his dessert into his mouth before giving Vanellope a nod. "Do I have anywhere else to be?"

"No sir," says Vanellope. "Go on. I'll make sure everyone's working while you're gone."

"Thank you," Lux says, before turning to the man. "Alright. Would you like to talk in my office?"

"No, actually. Follow me, please, Mr. Hastings." The other man turned around and started walking. Lux followed, confused and slightly annoyed that his lunch was cut short. The walk took a while, and the other man walked so briskly Lux's side was starting to cramp as he was keeping up. They were walking through the hall that connected the Complex to Townsend Laboratories, into a room that looked like a doctor's office straight from a science fiction film.

"Wow…"

"Impressive, is it not?" The other man smirked as Lux took in the room in all its pristine white glory. He guided the awestruck Head Gamemaker into a chair and sat him down.

"So, why are we here then, er…" Lux paused, not knowing the other man's name.

"Call me Cupid, Mr. Hastings. Please."

Lux shook himself out of his daze. "That's somewhat unprofessional."

"Not too much so. After all, you're the Head Gamemaker over there, I'm the Commander of Research here. I apologize for not making myself known to you earlier."

"Oh. Right. Then, um, I guess you can call me Lux."

"Wonderful." The other man smirked. He had bright red hair, freckles on his cheeks, and deep pink eyes framed in magenta eyeliner, and Lux noticed the top of a tattoo poking out of his shirt on his neck. "Glad we cleared that up right away. I thought you might like to know the progress we've been making on our little project."

Lux hated biology, but he was interested nonetheless. "Oh, yeah, sure. You really think you've been able to make people fall in love?"

"Lux, this committee has been researching this for over a hundred years. Back then, they knew that they'd have to have something when this time came around. For fifty years or so, no progress. Test after test, no results. Then, we started to make progress. I think we've come up with a sufficient prototype."

"Oh, great! Has it been tested?"

"In the process as we speak. So far it's proven to raise a human's sex drive and romantic capacity."

"So… You've made a love potion?"

Cupid looked at Lux, as if expecting him to say he was joking, then laughed for a while after realizing he was serious.

After he regained his composure, he sighed and said, "No. It's not that dumb and simple. This doesn't make tributes fall in love immediately with complete strangers. No, this is a very scientific, very delicate mixture of hormones and biological chemicals that simply increases a tribute's desire for a partner, romantically and sexually. However, they'll be falling in love with people as they normally would."

Lux's mind immediately went to his mother. "And if a tribute is aromantic and asexual?"

"Then they don't provide a good show and are disposed of early on." Cupid said it with the same easy smile, like it was simple.

Lux swallowed hard. "Right." The thought wasn't particularly pleasant to Lux.

"Alright, moving on then! We have it figured out. Now it's just a matter of producing enough and calibrating the right amount for each unique tribute."

"Already? Wow, that's… A relief." Finally something seemed to be going right for Lux. Maybe they'd be able to pull this off after all.

"There's another reason I invited you here," Cupid continued, and Lux suddenly felt a prick at his neck.

"What was that?" he started to stand up, but soon the world started to spin too quickly for him to keep track of what was happening.

"Just relax, as if you have a choice. I believe that you won't know how to manage these tributes until you've experienced what they're going through firsthand."

"You have an antidote, though, don't you?" Lux wasn't sure if all of the words came out intelligibly.

Cupid just laughed, that same, condescending, easy laugh.

"Not yet," was the last sentence Lux heard before the world went black and he passed out.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Another prologue! I was going to do two scenes in this one but didn't, so there will be four prologues to this story as I try to get as many people as possible to have a chance to get involved! I know the prologue process is slightly grueling, but hopefully these chapters are entertaining as they are actually setting up some important plot. I'm trying not to make them too terribly long.**_

 _ **Starting to get really excited for this! If you haven't submitted a character, check out my profile for the form! And if you've submitted one, you can submit up to two if you want! Also, the escort form is up, if you're interested I'd love to get some more escorts! Although I'm keeping it one escort per person until further notice, so thanks to the four lovely people who submitted awesome escorts already!**_

 _ **Also, this just occurred to me, but I never did clarify: I will NOT be writing full-on sex scenes for this story. Obviously I will write sex, but what I do write will be rated T, so not overly descriptive and not very long. No worries about that, this is staying rated T. If I do write rated M stuff, it will be on the blog or somewhere with a warning of some sort. But basically, this is rated T and it's going to stay that way, I don't want to push anyone's boundaries or make them uncomfortable!**_

 _ **Alright, I'll stop talking. Reviews are much appreciated, I wanna know what you think!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Hm… I dunno. Thoughts on the chapter? Did your opinion on Lux change at all? Would you like to see more of Cupid and/or Vanellope? Which and why?**_

 _ **Next prologue: A Winter's Eve camping trip, gone horribly wrong.**_


	3. Prologue 3: White Winter Hymnal

Things just seemed to go about like normal for Lux. He didn't feel any different than he did before that day. He felt the same, and figured that maybe they decided not to after all or something. Maybe it was some kind of Placebo effect. Lux just knew that he had a lot of work to do, and he went about it just as always. He didn't see much of the science ward.

Now he was all bundled up in a black peacoat, a red scarf, and black mittens. He knew that the Arena he'd be going to would be warm, so under the coat he only wore a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. It was going to be like a summer night in the Arena. He was the first to the station, hefting his backpack.

He was escorted to his train and there he sat, waiting for the others to arrive. Vanellope arrived just on time, not a second earlier or later, and right behind her were three of his crew members: Boniface Montford,who was in charge of climate and weather, Honoré Laud, in charge of muttations, and Joost Bishop, Head of Technology. Each of them greeted the others warmly. Behind them came Cupid, his hair a deeper red color, eyes even brighter than when Lux saw him.

"Hey," Cupid said, smiling. He was… Cute. Lux pushed the thought away.

Gian Mariani and Prentice Tholberg were joining the party, but the two most recent Victors were not going camping, they were being dropped off at District 3 on the way, back to University after a weekend in the Capitol. Gian's cheeks were red and as soon as he got on he went in search for coffee, leaving the previous year's Victor by himself, seeming awkward. He rubbed at some hickeys on his neck and avoided eye contact.

Last of all, five minutes late, came the twins.

Lux took a deep breath. It was going to be a long day. He still couldn't believe his mother had talked him into something so unprofessional as going camping with colleagues. Anything to make this Games be not a disaster. The doors closed and the train sped away.

"Sorry we're late!" Piccolo said, taking off their hat, revealing a mess of blue-violet hat-hair.

"Mom wouldn't just let us go," Viola sighed, flipping her dark purple ponytail over her shoulder.

"Not without some part-writing to do on the way, that is." Piccolo blew raspberries and tossed the sheets of paper in the air. "Let it snow," they said. Viola laughed.

"It's fine," Lux said. They went into an awkward silence, in which Cupid moved places to sit next to Lux.

"Are you excited for the Winter Festival?" Piccolo asked everyone.

"I am!" Viola said happily. "I brought Fitz so we could sing some songs!" she held up a case that looked suspiciously like it might have had a trombone inside. Lux rubbed his temples.

"I thought I said no trombones."

"You think I was gonna leave him all alone!?" Viola said. Lux just let out a frustrated puff of air. Unluckily for the Head Gamemaker, Piccolo pulled a small case out of their backpack. "I brought my instrument too!"

"Ugh," Lux said quietly. He wasn't ready to have headaches for forty-eight hours.

"We should sing a song now!" Viola said, and Piccolo quickly agreed.

Cupid moved closer, and Lux got up. "I'm getting coffee." He crossed the car and followed where Gian went. He caught the Victor just as Gian was leaving, and gave him an awkward nod. He could already hear Viola and Piccolo singing loudly.

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer!"

Lux rubbed his temples. It was going to be a very long day.

By the time he got back to the car, a cup of coffee in his hands, both siblings had gotten their instruments out. They were tuning when Lux came in.

"You're gonna need a lot more than just that, Sir," Vanellope said playfully.

"Shut up," Lux said, sighing. When he got back, Cupid was sprawled out, taking up the entire couch. "Really?"

Cupid just laughed. "You can join me if you want."

"Nah." Lux just sat on the ground, next to Mr. Bishop, who was tinkering with some device in his fingers.

"What's that?"

Mr. Bishop looked up. "Hm? Oh. This. Not sure yet. But I'll make it do something."

The men were interrupted by the blaring notes of a trombone and a piccolo, playing a merry duet together. Gian and Prentice exchanged a look before going to the kitchen car together. Lux wished he could just leave too. But no, he was supposed to be all… Positive. Eugh.

The train stopped in District 3, and the group was left in silence.

"Oh, we also brought the Ultimate Games Trivia Competition!" Piccolo said happily.

"I've heard that's very fun," Vanellope chirped.

"I'm undefeated at that one," Miss Laud piped up.

"Never played it, but I'm willing to try anything once," Mr. Montford added. Mr. Bishop was too busy with his device to notice.

"Nobody will beat me at that game," Cupid said. "You'll find that I'm very good at memorizing trivial things."

Lux didn't want to admit it, but the idea of playing a Games trivia game actually sounded like a ton of fun.

The train lurched into action again, and the twins were immediately singing, trying to get the others to sing with them. For a while, Vanellope and Miss Laud sang with them, but the girls dropped out around eighty-four.

With each bottle of beer that was taken down and passed around, Lux got more and more annoyed. He tried to stay patient, but something about their singing was so bothersome. They were practically screaming. They were only nineteen, just kids. Didn't they know how lucky they were to get this job!? Didn't they know that there were plenty of people dying to be in their shoes that wouldn't make this a joke!? Lux couldn't help but feel irritated.

They got to twenty-seven before Lux finally couldn't take anymore. He stood up, his face burning.

"Can you cut that out?! We're not five-year-olds! You're damn lucky you're even here, and I'm tired of you both… Messing around all the time! This is a professional environment and you're acting like you're _three_! I'm sick of it! This Games is going to be a trainwreck, and it's all because of _you two!_ Nobody likes your instruments, they're ear-splitting and annoying just like you, get it in your dense little heads!"

The car became quite cold. Piccolo's eyes filled with tears and they turned and ran to the kitchen car quickly. Viola hung her head, muttered a quiet, "Sorry Mr. Hastings," and quickly followed her sibling.

The car was silent. Cupid provided a low whistle, and Lux could feel Miss Laud and Mr. Montford judging him.

"With all due respect, Mr. Hastings, you fucked up," Vanellope said.

"I don't care," Lux sighed, "They needed to hear it."

"I'm going to make sure they're alright," Miss Laud said, glaring at Lux as she and Vanellope got up and left the car, Mr. Montford following and dragging Mr. Bishop with him, who missed everything that just happened.

Lux started to feel guilty. So maybe he had been a _bit_ rash…

"They needed to hear it," Cupid said, "You were right. You're the man in charge." He buried his fingers in Lux's hair and stroked it gently.

"I don't know, maybe I should apologize…" Lux stood up, but was turned around quickly by the other man, who gave him a wry smile.

"Do you, though? This might be our only alone time this whole trip."

Lux felt a blush spread across his face. "I… Don't sleep with people I barely know."

"Hm, are you sure?" Cupid's lips were warm against Lux's neck, pulling down his scarf. Lux's breath became ragged. He… He _wanted_ this. He shrugged his coat off and when Cupid pulled him in by the scarf to kiss him, Lux kissed back. It had been… So long since he felt this way. Everything felt so right… Each second that passed by, it felt more and more right. Lux laid down on the couch and let Cupid climb on top of him. He buried his fingers in Cupid's hair as he kissed his neck. Lux hadn't felt desire like this in years. Every touch was warm, every touch was a hot distraction, every kiss was delicious, every second that went by Lux just wanted more, he wanted to drown in Cupid, close his eyes and surrender to pleasure.

Cupid was undoing his pants when Lux's eyes snapped open.

"It's the… Whatever you put in me. That's what's making me feel this way, not you, I-"

"Lux…" Cupid gave him a smirk. "That's not how it works. The injection doesn't make you have feelings you wouldn't have naturally. It only… Heightens your senses, let's say."

Cupid kissed his waist, and Lux melted, closing his eyes. "Oh."

It wasn't good for him. Lux knew that this wasn't what would lead him to success. It wasn't good, it would only get him in trouble. But the excitement of getting caught made it all the more intense.

Maybe it was wrong. Maybe now wasn't the time, here wasn't the place, maybe…

It didn't matter.

Lux _wanted_ this.

He closed his eyes and let Cupid take him away from guilt and shame.

.

Lux was just pulling his shirt on when there was a loud screech and the train came to a halt, sending Lux into the wall, startled.

"What the fuck!?" Cupid zipped his fly and looked for his shirt.

The intercom beeped and a voice announced, "Sorry for the stop. A… problem has come up. Do not fear, we are right on solving it-" the voice was interrupted by a loud crashing noise, and the power flickered out.

"That's it, I'm going to see what the problem is." Cupid stomped off, leaving Lux alone.

Lux felt horrible. Not only was he sore as hell, he felt guilty as hell on top of it. He wasn't even satisfied, not really. He pulled a blanket around his shoulders and sat in front of the half-dying fireplace. Without heat, the car was already getting cold. He didn't know where the others were, but he didn't care. He didn't want to see them. He felt _horrible_. He made Piccolo _cry_. So much for this trip.

He heard footsteps and looked up. To his surprise, Viola was there. She walked over and plopped down next to him.

"Here." Lux looked at her hand. She was offering him a cookie. It was a little snowman, decorated carefully. Lux felt ten times worse.

"Viola…" He took the cookie. "I'm sorry."

"With all due respect, Mr. Hastings, please spare me the lies."

Lux stared at the fire, which was dying and barely gave any warmth at all. "I really, _really_ am, Viola." Lux stared at the fire. He swallowed hard. "There's no excuse. I just… Really, really want this Games to be a success. When your only parent was a wildly popular Announcer, model, and talk-show host, you… It's hard to fill her shoes. I'm not… Theatrical… Or social… Or... Kind... I'm not enormously talented like you and Piccolo. But I have brains. I have _something_. I… I've been putting so much pressure on myself… I lost my head. I was so tunnel-visioned I just thought my way is the only way. I got out of hand."

"Oh…" The nineteen-year-old watched him.

Piccolo came out and joined them, their footsteps so quiet Lux didn't even know they were coming.

"We're in the wrong too. You're right, we treated this like a joke. You're in charge, and we wrote you off. I guess… I don't know. We have no excuses. I… We want you to succeed. We want to help you succeed. But… We weren't doing a very good job. We're sorry." Viola frowned.

"With parents that travel so often with the Symphony… We've always been trying to stand out. So much practice. My father would hit my knuckles with a ruler when I played a wrong note. Pressure… Too much pressure… Is destructive." Piccolo stared into the fire too. "We had to be talented to get decent respect."

Lux glanced at them both.

"You're… You're not ear-splitting and annoying."

"We can be," Piccolo said. "You don't have to lie."

"You're fun. I think we could use some more fun around the workplace. But… Within reason."

Piccolo beamed and threw their arms around Lux's neck happily. When Lux's weight shifted, he tried not to wince. That was another problem he'd solve later. There was some silence.

"You _are_ kind, Mr. Hastings," Viola said, hugging Lux's arm through the blanket and resting her head on his shoulder.

"And enormously talented," Piccolo added. "Maybe not like your Mom, but that doesn't mean you're not. Trust me. I've learned that."

"Thanks guys…" Lux smiled a little bit. He still felt horrible and undeserving of their love, but he knew they meant what they were saying. "You… Can call me Lux, if you want."

"That'd be far too weird," Piccolo said, grinning up at him. "We'll stick to Mr. Hastings, if that's alright."

"Maybe Sir. _Sometimes_ ," Viola said.

Lux laughed a bit. "That sounds good to me."

"Come on, Mr. Hastings. We were just cuddle-piling and teaching the others one of our favorite songs. No instruments. No shouting. If… You don't think that's annoying…" Viola bit her lip.

"That sounds like fun. I'd like to join you." Lux smiled and stood up, still wrapped up in the blanket. "Oh, and Viola?" The girl turned around.

"About that occurrence when you punched a fellow employee in the face…"

She hung her head. "I'm sorry, Sir."

"Next time anyone pesters you, at _all_ , just send me a text with where you are. Then, you get in a good punch, and I'll come kick their ass."

Viola giggled, tightening her ponytail. "Thank you, Mr. Hastings."

"Same for you, Piccolo. They give you shit about your pronouns and I'll be there in a flash."

"Thank you Sir."

The alternative heating in the dining cart made it warmer than the ice box Lux had been sitting in, and the reception was warmer than he expected, probably warmer than he deserved.

Lux sat sandwiched between the Wallace twins and listened as the others sang the song:

" _I was following the pack  
All swaddled in their coats,  
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats,  
To keep their little heads  
From fallin' in the snow,  
And I turned 'round and there you go,  
And, Michael, you would fall,  
And turn the white snow red as strawberries  
In the summertime…"_

The twins were really amazing. They harmonized so well, both of them. They really were enormously talented. Cupid was nowhere to be found, maybe with the conductor trying to solve the problem. Vanellope, Boniface, and Honoré sang, clapping and tapping on their knees. Even Joost put his device down to pat some rhythms on his knees. Sitting between them, Lux was soon singing just as loudly as any of them.

Piccolo and Viola taught them another song or two, and then passed out more delicious cookies and started the intense game of Ultimate Games Trivia.

Lux wasn't too upset when the conductor came around and told them they probably wouldn't be able to make it back home for Winter's Eve. In fact, he didn't want to go anywhere, for that short amount of time. He just wanted to spend it with some friends, playing games and having fun.

In the chaos of preparations, interviews, and stress-eating, he really missed that.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Whoops, got a little bit out of control with this prologue. Haha. Oh well, I still had fun writing it and hope you enjoyed reading it! Submissions are still open, and time is starting to dwindle! Maybe. I'll set a definite deadline next prologue, so I guess I'm doing five prologues to have one with a tribute reveal. Oh well. I like these characters too much. There were a good number of them in this chapter. There are still spots with no submissions and some spots where I haven't received quite what I'm looking for, so if you want to submit a second character it'd be appreciated! And maybe spread the word to any friends that like SYOTs? Also, don't be afraid to submit escorts!**_

 _ **Still keeping track of scores! Reviews are always appreciated and get you points! Especially answering CQs!**_

 _ **OOOH that reminds me! The other day, I had an idea (I get them every once in a while). I was thinking of making a forum for SYOT authors! Because I see lots of you guys around but I don't know most of you… At all. In fact, there a couple of SYOT people that are hes and I literally just found out about it. XD It'd just be a place where SYOT authors could advertise stories, encourage other writers, discuss stories and characters, and… Meet, really. But I wouldn't do it if no one was interested. So if that sounds like something that you'd be interested in, let me know in a review. If nobody's interested I'm not going to do it, obviously. :P**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Well, I don't know what to do for the fifth prologue when I reveal the tributes, so… Who would you like to see more from in the fifth prologue? Is there a particular interaction you want to see more of? Give me ideas here people :P**_

 _ **Next Prologue: A check-up on the mentors for the 125**_ _ **th**_ _ **Hunger Games!**_


	4. Prologue 4: Meet the Mentors I

District 1

"They can't be serious, can they?" Blessing Natale's brow was creased as she glanced around the cozy living room of Cartier Candelaria's house in the Victor's Village. "They can't… They can't make tributes fall in love in the midst of the _Games_. Can they? Cartier!" The 107th Victor tapped her feet impatiently, her question still unanswered.

Cartier was quiet. The 97th Victor was thinking about his Games. That one boy in his Games that made him look twice constantly. They'd barely talked, just exchanged looks, and-

"Hey!"

"Sorry," the man said quietly, messing with his fingers. "I don't know. I wouldn't put it below them."

"You can't think they're serious about this." Blessing crossed her arms. "Do you know what would happen?! Absolute _chaos_!"

"I can't predict anything." Even though Cartier had ten years on his fellow mentor, he wasn't rash enough to make a crusade out of it. Maybe there was a time that he would have. Cartier was a bit much during his Games but had levelled out as he matured. Blessing was the same: in fact, Blessing was a party girl unlike any other before the Games straightened her out.

"They're bluffing."

Cartier sighed. "I wouldn't depend on that."

"What if-"

"I don't _know_ , Blessing," Cartier hissed. "I can't tell you anything. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit old to solicit secrets from the higher-ups." Cartier had always been pretty frisky, even back before he won the Games and acquired the ability to transition. He rubbed his temples, ignoring the stubble starting to grow on his chin. Truth was, he was a bit of a mess after the announcement was made. It struck a bit of a soft spot with him.

"You have no idea?" the younger Victor had been banking on Cartier having answers.

The man just shook his head. "None at all."

"So how are we supposed to strategize if we have absolutely no idea what's happening?"

"I guess we're not. It's customary for the District 1 mentors to meet before the full gathering. I thought you might want to come blow a gasket so that you can be at least half civil with the others."

"It's… They have to be bluffing. There's no way."

"This is the Capitol."

"Shut up." Blessing just didn't want to hear it. She brushed her blonde hair behind her shoulder and sighed. "They're bluffing." She didn't want to believe that they would play with hearts like this. She didn't want to believe they would cause so much pain. Not about the Capitol. "They're ruining the integrity of the Games."

"What integrity?" Cartier asked coldly.

"You should know, considering you volunteered for them." She crossed her arms. The tension was palpable.

"I was stupid."

"You seem pretty happy now."

"I _seem_."

Blessing scowled at him. "We can't do this when we have tributes."

"I agree."

"There. We found something." Blessing remained calm. "Can we just agree to disagree?"

Cartier just gave her a curt nod. "Sure."

.

District 2

Nona Amatore came back to her fellow mentor standing outside her door.

"You're late," Vesperus Floridius said, clicking his golden pocketwatch shut and putting it in his pocket. "Exactly seven minutes, twenty-eight seconds late."

"I was training," Nona said, flipping dark hair over her shoulder and unlocking the door, going in and throwing her training bag on the ground. "Lost track of time. What, did you just stand out here staring your watch down like a creep?"

"I am always punctual. Never a second early, never a second late."

Nona just rolled her eyes. He was honestly so pretentious sometimes. The 119th Victor sat down on a couch and made herself comfortable. "Honestly, Vesperus."

The 113th Victor sat across from his fellow mentor, very pristine and polite. "You talk like I was early. I was right on time."

Nona just sighed. "Whatever. So we're a team this year. I don't know why people think this twist changes anything."

"Your strategy is just as rigid as my schedule," Vesp remarked, running a hand through his blond hair, styled out of his face neatly. "Unchanging."

"It's effective."

"Sure it is. Which one of us reared a Victor here?" Vesp raised his eyebrows. The 122nd Victor, Pluto Nicastro, was one of Vesperus's proudest success stories. Vesp was like a father to District 2's youngest Victor.

"Well, I've been working closely with the hopefuls. The selection happens next Thursday."

"Yes, at four o' clock sharp." Ever since winning his Games, Vesperus had an interest in time. He always had to know the time, always had to be on time. Time was of the essence. Time was limited. He always tried to control his time, spend every moment doing something important. Every moment that came by he felt the need to live twenty-four lives at once. It was stressful, sure, but Vesp couldn't handle living any other way. "I'll be there. Even if I'm not, fate will run its course. We can't change it."

"Fate, fate, fate. Well, I'm taking fate by the horns this year. I'm getting my tribute out alive. Whichever of our lovely prospective ladies it is."

"You can't escape fate. I should know. So many tributes that are just like I was have gone into that Arena. Why are they dead and I'm not? Stupid fate."

Nona just let out a sigh. She never really got along with anyone. She was a fighter and she refused to let other people have the last say. She didn't exactly have a lot of friends.

"You don't have to train anymore, you know?"

"I want to." She was certain. She loved the rush that came from using a sword, and some tight-ass old news from six years before her wasn't going to change her mind on that matter.

"Well, since your strategy is still unchanging, we don't have much to discuss. But may the odds be ever in your favor." Vesp gave her a curt nod before he stood up and left.

.

District 3

Tav Kohl loved the Quell twist. Not because of the Capitol or the disgusting things they were going to do to the tributes, but because it ensured safety for his two oldest children for another year. If he had met Marinka just a year earlier… No matter. Hendrix was 14. Astrid was 12. They were both safe another year.

It was a good amount of stress off of his shoulders. Having eight kids was extremely fulfilling, true, but moments like those were also goddamn terrifying. The thought of any of his children facing the Games was enough to make nightmares.

His fellow mentor, Ellie Schultz, was in a different boat. Ellie's youngest was 18, which meant that she would have to endure the reaping one last year. And it truly was sick.

"I'm going to meet Ell," Tav called to his wife Marinka, who was swarmed with little kids, who left their mother to run to him. 11-year-old Josephine was the first to hug him and kiss him goodbye, then 7-year-old Indi. 3-year-old Lottie toddled over, then 9-year-old Royce. Astrid and Hendrix called goodbye, knowing their father wouldn't be gone long. Then, Tav picked up baby Kester and kissed the top of his head. 5-year-old Ambrose, who was named after his mother's maiden name, was the last child left, clinging to his legs. Ambrose had been in this phase for about a month or so, and refused to let his father go.

"Daddy has to go now," Tav said, brushing Ambrose's hair out of his eyes. "But he'll be home soon. Love you buddy." He kissed to top of Ambrose's head.

Ambrose buried his face in his father's leg and cried, clutching him tightly. Marinka helped to pry him off, kissing Tav's cheek before he quickly left, ignoring the cries of his son. It was just a phase, but leaving like that made Tav feel like a total jackass. Even if Ambrose would be dry-cheeked and happy in half an hour, knowing Marinka.

The 102nd Victor knocked on his older partner's door, and Merida answered. "Hi Merida," Tav said to Ellie's oldest daughter. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine." Like her mother, she was determined and brave. She let Tav in, and Ellie came out to greet him.

"Afternoon," she said, giving her fellow mentor a quick hug.

"How are you?" Tav asked. He knew she'd been through this twice before with her other children, both of who were safe and sound, but that didn't make it any easier.

"I'm doing well," Ellie said with a kind smile. They were plenty acquainted with each other's mentoring considering they were the only active mentors in the District anymore. The only thing to discuss was…

"So, that twist…" The 102nd Victor scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Do you believe they can…?"

Ellie's eyes darkened, her mind moving to her daughter, the pain that will be felt by the families of the reaped.

"Yes, Tav. I do."

.

District 4

Michael Spinnaker was sitting on the edge of the beach and hurting all over.

There was a time he would walk on the beach, some girl in his arms, all the way to the ocean. Maybe he'd wander out to the ocean and feel the water on his feet, squish the sand between his toes. If she was just asking for it, he'd dunk her in the ocean, laughing when she complained but promising to make up for it later. He'd take her home and have his way with her, making her feel really, _really_ good.

Now he was here. He couldn't even go to the beach anymore, the sand made it too hard for him to maneuver. He couldn't feel the water. He couldn't even have sex.

Michael had to lean forward to take a handful of sand, sifting it through his fingers. Winning the Games made him face his sex addiction head-on. He did something with his life. He turned it around.

But at what cost? He would never be intimate again. He'd never feel pleasure like he thought.

"Spinnaker." The 121st Victor looked up at hearing his name and sank slightly when he saw his fellow mentor standing above him.

"Stradlater…"

The 114th Victor, ten years older than Michael, glanced down at him. "What are you doing?"

Michael shrugged. Port Stradlater made him feel like a fucking idiot. Michael couldn't explain why he was just sitting here, wishing he could be who he was. Maybe he was just a fucking masochist.

Stradlater put his hands on Michael's shoulders. "It's almost been four years. You shouldn't keep hurting yourself like this."

"I'm not ready to let go of it yet. I wish I could go back, and- woah!" Michael was startled when he felt Stradlater lift him up out of the chair.

Michael reached up and wrapped his arms around Stradlater's neck. "What are you doing!?"

Stradlater didn't answer. He walked out onto the sand, Michael still in his arms.

"Have you been on the beach since your Games?"

"I've tried, but haven't gotten far…"

"You didn't ask for help."

 _Yeah, because you're intimidating as fuck_ , Michael thought, but didn't say anything.

Stradlater stepped out into the ocean. "I would have helped you."

"I didn't…" Michael looked away from him. "Want to admit that… ah!" Michael squeaked as Stradlater leaned down into a wave, effectively sending a rush of cold water over Michael's body. The younger Victor just laughed. It felt _amazing_.

"No more sadness now."

"I dare you to do that again," Michael said, grinning, and with the next wave, he was completely submerged for a second, before Stradlater's strong arms pulled him back up.

Michael shook out his hair. "Don't leave me down there too long," he teased, grinning.

"I would never let you drown."

Michael's green eyes met Stradlater's brown ones.

"Thanks Port," Michael said quietly.

"Mhm."

It was a moment of intimacy between them.

Slowly, Port lifted his arms and kissed Michael.

.

District 5

Kelly Fisher was hiding.

The 94th Victor had won her Games by hiding, and hid ever since. She stalked around her house, her feet not making any noise as she poked around, looking in the kitchen for threats. She strode slowly into the room, staying alert and watching her back. She was ready to attack at a minute's notice. At seeing no apparent threat, Kelly stood down. She smoothed down her hair and went in to make herself breakfast. The house was quiet and empty, just as Kelly liked it. She hated people coming in and telling her what she should and should not be doing. She liked it like this. She made some scrambled eggs and searched through her drawers.

She knew she would have to find the nearest dealer soon. That meant going outside, though. She'd have to wear her belt of knives. The last thing she needed was for the President to find out. When President Rutilus found out about the drugs, he'd killed her father. Her mother and sister moved out, leaving Kelly to her own devices. After mentoring tribute after tribute, most of them older than she was at fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, she picked the habit back up.

She was one of Panem's few Victors who won the Games at just fourteen. What they didn't know is that she only won by choosing the right hiding spot. She had always been good at hide and seek. In the final battle of her Games she faced the girl from District 4. She was better at running than that girl. In her last fateful move, Kelly pushed her back into the mutts and ran away. Maybe not the most bullshit finale to a Games, but high up on the list. She wasn't the youngest, though, that title went to Roxanne Tilki, who won at thirteen. Panem had yet to see a twelve-year-old Victor, but Kelley figured that if she won, so could some twelve-year-old.

Suddenly there was a pounding at the door, and Kelly screamed. She picked up a steak knife and ran straight for the door. She threw the door open and on the other side, saw her mentoring partner, Timothy Delacroix.

Tim blinked at her, his eyes wide. He was holding some casserole in his hands. "Good morning Kelly."

"Hello." She panted and dropped the knife.

"Here. Trina made this for you."

Kelly reached out and took it. "Thanks," she said quietly. "Come in." She kicked the knife out of the way and went in, placing the casserole on the table.

"We're mentoring again this year. Did you see the Quell twist?"

Kelly nodded. "Mandatory viewing. My TVs play it automatically so I don't… _Forget_ … again."

"Oh… Yes." The 98th Victor frowned. He felt a lot of pity for Kelly, not able to turn her life around like him. "We should probably discuss how to handle it."

There was a pause before Kelly spoke again. "There's no point. They're dead meat anyways.

.

District 6

Gian Mariani was not in District 6. Instead, he was at the University of District 3, in an apartment with his roommate, and bent over some of his engineering homework. Gian tapped is chin with his pencil, in thought. Then, he picked up his mug and took a long sip of his black coffee. That would keep him awake.

Prentice was sleeping. They'd just arrived back at school from a weekend out at the Capitol. Prentice had been dragged through the wringer: dark hickeys littering his neck, and Gian was sure he was sore as hell. Gian had gotten off lucky, just having to do a photoshoot for an underwear ad. Besides, he was the second most recent (and second most popular) Victor now that Prentice had won. The two of them had a monster final the next morning. Prentice vowed to get up early to do his studying, but Gian was a night owl. He sipped his coffee and flipped through his textbook, rereading his annotations. He had barely even thought about this twist, he'd been too concerned with his schoolwork.

Yeah, Victors didn't have to go to school. But Gian wanted to. He wanted to extend his education and do something with his life. The other alternative was, like many in his District, including his mentoring partner, the likes of drugs and alcohol to escape. Gian _hated_ the people that ran away. He insisted on doing something with his life. Something impactful. That was his aim, and he wasn't going to stop until he was successful.

District 6 held another of Panem's mentors, Anatoly Carlisle. The Victor of the 111th Games was one of the people that made Gian crazy. She won at fourteen, mentored for two years and lost her tributes, and totally gave up. Luckily, her younger sister lived with her and cleaned up her messes, so she didn't need to be babysat by the other Victors.

"Toly?" The Victor, twenty-eight years old, jumped and looked up to see her sister there. She always felt ashamed when Evelyn caught her.

"Sorry Lyn." Anatoly's head was already starting to swim. She wouldn't be with it much longer. She was glad she felt this way, though, knowing that the pain would disappear, only if for a little while. She brushed her stringy, copper hair over her shoulder as Evelyn took and discarded the plunger she had used to inject herself.

"Isn't there any way I can help you?" Evelyn asked quietly.

"No," Anatoly said, closing her eyes. "I don't want to be helped."

The rest of Evelyn's words faded together as that blissful, warm feeling took Anatoly away, and she let it. Soon, everything was funny. Evelyn had a hair sticking up, causing Anatoly to laugh. She was talking, something about the Games, but Anatoly shut her out. Instead she got up and started to walk to her room, where nobody could bother her.

She had nothing to worry about.

Not a worry at all.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: I physically had to restrain myself from writing more than 500 words a District. I'm sorry if these segments felt choppy or disconnected, or didn't flow well, I'm not used to stifling myself in terms of word count. Anyways, even if these feel a bit rushed or choppy, I hope this at least gives you a feel for the mentors so far. The next prologue is going to be the other 6 Districts, and the reveal of the tribute list! Yay! After I reveal the tribute list, updates will hopefully become much more consistent.**_

 _ **Alright, so if you're looking you'll notice I've started closing certain spots. I'm still figuring out some things about where to place characters, but I'd like to get some more females. Also, I have a lot of people with two tributes, so if you haven't submitted a character yet, please don't be afraid to submit one because more than likely someone's first tribute will have priority over someone else's second tribute!**_

 _ **Also, I still need escorts! It's been long enough that I'm opening it up to two escorts per person if you'd like, because I need them!**_

 _ **The official due date for tribute and escort submissions will be next**_ _ **Friday, December 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **!**_ _ **Hopefully on that day, I'll post the last prologue and release the tribute list!**_

 _ **I want to start up a blog for this story, but I'm not sure if I want to use the same one I used for Silhouettes or not. I don't think I will, but I want to know what you think! Reviews are much appreciated!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Who was your favorite mentor in this chapter and why? Which were your favorite pair in this chapter and why? Any headcanons for interactions between your tributes/escorts and their mentors?**_

 _ **See you all next week!**_


	5. Prologue 5 and Tribute List

District 7

Kendal Stowers, as usual, was reading. Instead of his usual books, though, he was reading over a pamphlet. His reading was interrupted when his husband knocked lightly on the wall, a happy look on his face. Kendal always lit up at seeing him.

"Hey you," Kendal said, smiling.

"The kids are here." The 84th Victor closed his book and quickly joined his husband, walking to the living room to greet his family. Kendal counted five other people in the room, which was strange because he was pretty sure that last time he checked, he and Gravity had four kids. 26-year-old Westin was the first to hug his father, then 24-year-old Ariadna and 23-year-old Terach. After them came 20-year-old Klaus, the youngest of the children, and after that.

"Hey Dad," said 20-year-old Helen Bethel, Victor of the 120th Games, giving Kendal a hug.

Kendal laughed and ruffled her hair. "I'm pretty sure you aren't a Stowers," he teased.

"I might as well be," Helen said, beaming and hugging Gravity as well before taking Klaus's arm again. Kendal and Gravity were extremely hospitable, and took in the young Victor after she became close friends with their son Klaus. Kendal and Gravity were lucky that none of their kids had any desire to go into the Games. Because Gravity was the mayor of District 1, he registered the kids from 1, where they would always be volunteered for.

Gravity himself was scheduled to volunteer for the same Games that Kendal won, but by some twist of fate was reaped. At the time, Gravity was devastated, but it didn't take long for him to realize that it was better that way. Kendal helped Gravity pick himself up, and Gravity did the same for him.

Kendal had some good bonding time with his family and Helen, enjoying every second spent with his children. Even after the Stowers kids left, Helen stayed, to get down to business about mentoring.

"Did you see the pamphlet Michael sent out?" she asked, waving the piece of paper around.

"Mhm. I think it's a great idea. I saw the list of receivers, why'd he e-mail it to Port? I thought they…"

Helen sighed and shook her head. "Apparently those two haven't talked to each other. From what I heard, someone kissed someone and now they're avoiding each other like the plague."

Kendal creased his eyebrow. "That makes no sense."

"I don't know, I guess we'll find out when the Games come."

"I guess…"

Helen flipped through the pamphlet, formatted by Michael and proofread by Kendal and Cartier, that explained different romantic and sexual orientations.

"I think this is a great idea," Helen said. "It'll help the mentors help the tributes."

"I still don't know about this twist…" Kendal sighed. "It seems impossible. Cruel, if they're serious about this."

"I wouldn't put it below them," Helen sighed. "Even if Blossius is trying to play nice."

"Nobody can be worse than Joltee," Kendal sighed sadly. Luckily, Helen hadn't been alive for President Rutilus's reign, but it was hard being a Victor in those times. After his rise to power during Kendal's Games, the 84th Victor would never forgive him.

"We'll figure it out," Helen said. "We'll help our tributes the best that we can." She gave him a bright smile, and Kendal couldn't help but smile at her optimism.

"This year, that's all we can do."

.

District 8

Anthony wasn't in District 8.

He was in the Capitol, in an all-too-cheery, all-too-bright room. It was working far too hard to be hospitable. Shakira, a kind young lady with waist-length aqua hair, knocked and entered, then stopped. She wasn't expecting to see so many Tidwells. Usually Ant visited his sister alone, but today he'd brought his two other siblings with him.

"Oh… Good afternoon… Mr. Tidwell. And, um-"

"My siblings. Cadogan and Giselle."

"Yes, nice to make your acquaintance." Shakira gave them all a smile. "Valerie should be awake soon. I'll be back to check on her later. Enjoy your time." She gave them all another far-too-hollow-to-be-real smile before she turned around and left.

It took a few more minutes for Val to open her eyes. When she did, she smiled at her siblings. "Ant," she said, glancing at the 88th Victor.

"I brought Giselle and Cadogan," Ant said, and the other two greeted their sister.

"Oh, yes, how nice," she said, smiling. "Where's Poe?"

A chill crept over the room. Poe had died of a heart attack last year at the age of 63. Val asked this question every time Ant came to visit her. He'd done his best to prepare the others for it. And for the answer.

"Poe will visit next time."

Val sat up. "When do I get to go home?" she asked, and Ant found it harder and harder to smile.

"Soon," he lied. "Very soon."

"Good," Val said. Giselle and Cadogan looked stunned to see their sister like this. Ant warned them that it was pitiful. He was right. The rest of the afternoon, as they all did, went by in a numb blur.

Within the stress of his family life, Ant didn't even have time to have to think about the coming Games.

Tartan Vincent watched the Quell twist and laughed.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed. He was still a bit buzzed when he watched it, but mostly just thought it was funny. Love in the Games?! Did they _want_ an uproar?! What were they trying to do here?!

Tartan laughed and laughed. He laughed for a full hour. He popped a pill and everything became that much funnier. It was absolutely _ridiculous_.

And it was going to be _hilarious_.

Only the weak loved. And only the truly pathetic threw their love out into the open. Tartan couldn't wait for them to pay the price for loving, for being vulnerable. Only the strong survived. The weak would be killed. Hopefully violently.

He had built his walls up, high and strong. He killed violently. Tortured. He'd relished the pain of the weak, loved every second of teaching them a good old-fashioned lesson. He was the strongest, and he was the lone survivor. He was left alone, the others were too weak to deal with him. He wasn't afraid to fight, even after living through his Games.

He loved blood. He hated being hurt, but he loved blood. He loved to watch it drip out of wounds, bright red and glistening… He loved how it tasted as he sucked it out of wounds to the sounds of whiny moans. He loved to collect it on his fingers and paint with it across his partner's neck and cheek. If there was one thing Tartan loved more than anything, it was destroying people. He liked to wear them down and force them to surrender to him, begging for mercy. He loved to make them bleed, and cry, and beg.

Tartan laughed, watching his television as President Blossius leaves after a round of applause. He wondered what kind of tribute he'd have the rotten luck of mentoring this year.

And how fast it would take for them to break down.

.

District 9

It would be the first time District 9 had two mentors in over 30 years.

Vale Dimitrov had been mentoring alone for _so_ long. After winning the 89th Games, he had mentored alongside Stella Bengal, Victor of the 66th Games. Stella passed away of a drug overdose just before the 91st Games. Vale had been mentoring alone for 34 _years_. And now, that was _finally_ going to change.

For the first time in 34 years, Vale's arms were clear. He didn't have to make an appointment to clear them. He had a _Victor_. After all these years.

Vale wanted to be a part of Prentice's life. They were a team now, the 54-year-old and the 18-year-old. Prentice had plenty of other friends, he still had a full support system as he was shipped off to be destroyed by the Capitol. But, at the end of the day, he always came back to his mentor. Vale wanted to be there for him. They had a good relationship, which Vale was thankful for. The older Victor had no family left to speak of, so having Prentice over was always a treat.

Prentice was extremely intelligent, and was often out at university, where he roomed with District 6's Gian Mariani. The two most recent Victors were close, but nobody could stand between Prentice and his mentor. Vale was extremely thankful for his kindness.

Vale sat alone in his room, drawing butterflies on his arms.

It was a habit he learned from Prentice. Sure, he wasn't like the younger Victor, drawing delicate, intricate patterns so good they might as well have been tattooed straight on, but he could draw some shitty-ass butterflies. And, even if he sucked, drawing was calming. Definitely better than cutting.

Vale couldn't stop thinking about Lilith, the little girl with blond hair and big dreams that died during the Bloodbath last year. He had been responsible for her, too, and even if he finally succeeded bringing home a Victor, he still felt responsible for Lilith's death.

A knock on the door made him look up. Vale sighed and went to the door. Probably someone asking for food or shelter. Or maybe a confused fan. Or maybe one of Prentice's family members trying to invite him for dinner or something.

He opened the door to see the young, attractive, smiling face of last year's Victor himself, coppery hair curly and sticking up, dusted with snow.

"Prentice!" Vale hesitated, but Prentice wrapped his arms around his mentor in a tight hug, which Vale returned.

"I finished my last final early. Hopped on the first train back home."

"I'm so glad you're back safe and sound," Vale said quietly, as Prentice let him go.

Vale was pleasantly surprised to see his Victor home. He was extremely protective of Prentice whenever he could be, and he intended to make sure no Capitolite laid a single claw on his Victor. Prentice looked tired and pale, with dark circles under his eyes and dark hickeys littering his neck. It seemed as if Vale never saw him without them. He was seriously worried about this becoming an addiction for the kid. Prentice confided in Vale that he was a virgin before going to the Capitol, and now he's getting some every weekend, at least. Who knows what he does with Gian?

"I'm glad too," smiled Prentice. "My Mom made roast beef for dinner. I'd love for you to come."

Vale gave him a smile and felt warm inside. "I'd love to, thank you."

.

District 10

Arthur Warwick loved to bake.

And that's just what he was doing. It was the best way to get his mind off of the Games. He knew that his fellow mentor would be coming, and wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Since winning his Games, Arthur had always busied himself. He always wanted to be cooking, cleaning, baking, whatever it took.

Arthur had just put some brownies in the oven when Caspar came into the kitchen and hugged the 112th Victor from behind.

"Hey you," Arthur said with a smile.

"I just got Lethia to sleep," Caspar said, smiling. "What's cookin', gorgeous?"

"Oh, I just made some brownies for when Roxanne comes over."

"Mm, is there one left for your husband that loves you oh so dearly to kidnap?" Caspar kissed Arthur's neck softly, causing the 29-year-old Victor to laugh.

"Of course. Although I believe your sweet tooth is gonna get you into trouble someday, babe." Arthur pinched Caspar's stomach teasingly, and the other man laughed.

"Only because I'm married to an _amazing_ baker."

Arthur just laughed. "Thanks dear." Then he reached up and smeared one of his flour-covered hands across the other man's cheek, causing Caspar to protest but laugh. "I have to clean up now."

"Just as long as you do it quietly. If Lethia wakes up crying, you're gonna put her back down." The defiant little girl had proven a challenge to put down unlike any other. Arthur didn't have to be told twice. He did the dishes as quietly as he possibly could. As soon as he was done, he went back to the bedroom where Caspar was waiting, and had a much-needed nap.

Arthur woke just before the timer, tiptoeing around like a single peep would wake his sleeping daughter. The peaceful sleep of Caspar and Lethia was interrupted by Roxanne Tilki pounding on the door. Arthur ran, opening the door and putting a finger over his lips, as Lethia started crying loudly and Caspar went to get her.

"Hi Roxanne," Arthur said over the noise.

"Hello." The 46-year-old Victor looked exhausted. Roxanne had won the Games at the tender age of 13, after hiding and finally attacking the boy from District 7 in the final battle. Years and years later, Roxanne still had nightmares. She had nightmares about her tributes, about her Games, about everything.

"Are you alright?"

"I just spent a lot of time delivering weapons."

Arthur's lips pulled into a scowl. "You're really endorsing the idea of our District training for the Games?"

"Yes. I don't want those kids to go through what I went through, Arthur." Roxanne seemed serious. "They need to prepare themselves. We'll have tributes with a better chance at winning, Arthur. It's important."

"You're going to make us a Career District," he said, sounding disgusted. The Careers had been horrible Arthur's Games. He would never stop having nightmares about it.

"We're not training volunteers. We're training tributes in case they're reaped."

"That's how it started in District 2," Arthur sneered.

Roxanne sighed. "This is what I have to do, Arthur. I thought you would want to see the Victor's Village lively and full, more of our tributes Victors. But I guess not." Her mind made, the older mentor stood up and left.

"You can't just leave every argument that breaks out!" Arthur called after her. Honestly, Roxanne acted like a child sometimes. Arthur stood by his mindset, and Roxanne stood by hers, neither budging.

He just sighed and went to help Caspar with the still screaming Lethia.

.

District 11

Chervil Van Lauren was damn sick and tired of caring for his fellow mentor.

He felt like a fucking babysitter.

He had no idea how Skeeter Hofstadter was still alive. He had practically been drowning in alcohol from the moment President Snow put the crown on his head. By some miracle, the 79th Victor had yet to keel over, and because he was still breathing, he was set to mentor yet another year. That left Chervil, the 109th Victor, to do all the babysitting. Maybe it was because Chervil didn't want to be a lone mentor yet. Maybe it was because he had some compassion in him.

Chervil didn't know. He just kept on doing what he did. From the time he won his Games he had just pitied his mentor and looked after him. But simple things soon turned into constant babysitting. Every morning Chervil went to the house next door and made sure Skeeter was still alive and awake before noon. Every afternoon he brought him lunch, sometimes something simple like a sandwich, sometimes something served warm like soup. Every evening he brought a nice dinner over and ate with the older man. This is how it had been for years and years, and the only thing that changed about it was more gray in Skeeter's hair and less life in his eyes.

All of these _years_ of being miserable like this. The older Victor was 63 years old and he depended on whiskey to sleep. Now, he mostly just drank because he had to, because it made him happy, because addiction had a stronghold on him. But he confided in Chervil all of the reasons he started drinking.

Chervil couldn't believe that this man once loved to sing.

It started long before the Games. Issues with an abusive father and constant bullying from everyone around. Struggling with so many negative thoughts, and ultimately losing the only person who dared to believe in him. The only person who made him laugh. The only person that made him feel like he meant something. She died in the 74th Games at age 12, and Skeeter was left alone. He kept trying and trying to move on, he really did. It just became so overwhelming. Even when Rue was gone, the abuse and bullying was consistent, more than ever. His so-called friends totally left him, claiming he was overreacting. He was left alone. Then, at age 17, he was reaped into the 79th Games, against all odds. And he wanted to die, but ended up protecting a tribute younger than him for a while, and in the heat of the moment, won the final battle as revenge for her death.

He ended up back home, in District 11. He escaped his father and the bullies, but the Capitol under Snow proved to be bigger bullies than those saps back in 11. They sold him, reduced him to nothing, hurt him, and made damn sure he never spoke her name again in the public eye.

That was when he really started into the alcohol. It numbed the pain, took away the sting of everything. It helped him sleep. It allowed him to forget what was happening, act like it didn't matter. It served as a sweet release. Later Skeeter told him about struggling with his sexuality, a part at which Chervil had to hold back a grimace. He didn't even want to get _started_ on that. He strongly believed in a 'don't ask, don't tell' philosophy. He just didn't want to know. He was just hoping to mentor a couple of normal tributes that liked the correct gender. He knew that he would have a heavy hand in mentoring both of them, and he wasn't sure if he had the patience to deal with tributes that just wanted to be different. Maybe Skeeter would be competent enough to deal with any… Undesirables.

Chervil sighed as he walked back to his house.

He could only hope.

.

District 12

Braelyn realized something was wrong when she was surprised to see Allegra without a black eye.

The 90th Victor had been in denial that anything was wrong for so long, but the truth was that it was Allegra was in danger. Braelyn was standing in shock, stunned that her mentoring partner for all these years had been through so much abuse and Brae had just… Let it happen.

"Allegra."

"Hello Braelyn," the 118th Victor greeted her partner, brushing her dyed coppery hair behind her shoulder. She looked relieved to see the familiar face there. Allegra lead the older Victor inside.

"How are you feeling?" Braelyn asked.

"Well, I'm doing well," Allegra said. The 23-year-old had a hollow look in her eyes. She looked like a ghost, just like any other 12 citizen.

"Yeah? That's good," Braelyn approached her mentoring partner with a lot of caution. The littlest things would set Allegra off, and then she was unsalvageable. That was part of the reason Braelyn never stepped in on the abuse.

"And how's… Hoke?"

"Oh, good, good, very good!" Allegra said, her gray eyes scanning the room around her, as if he might be watching. "He's away with his family for the weekend, so it's very quiet around here, haha!" her laugh sounded almost hysteric it was so forced. She got more and more frantic with each second.

"Allegra, he keeps on hurting you," Braelyn said quietly, frowning. The 50-year-old woman frowned at her only living mentoring partner.

"I need him, Lyn," Allegra whispered. She always said that. It used to dispel Braelyn's worries, but not then.

"No. Allegra, he's horrible. He's abusing you."

"We fight sometimes but it only makes us stronger. Fighting can be good!" she said it frantically, plopping down on a chair.

"Sweetheart, not like this," Braelyn whispered, frowning as she sat on another chair in the cozy living room. It was going to be hard to make her forget the lies he's been telling her. But maybe this was her chance.

"It's fine, Braelyn. I'm a Victor, I can handle myself. I don't need anyone to tell me what to do."

"Allegra, listen. I know he might say that but you have to see that he's _hurting_ you."

"We're fine! He loves me! He says he loves me!" she laughed again, hysterically.

"Sweetheart, that's not true. Nobody that actually _loves_ you would treat you this way," the older Victor insisted. "How long has it been since he hurt you?"

Allegra swallowed. "A week." She held eye contact for a solid five seconds before looking away, ashamed for lying. "A week was the last really bad argument. But we worked it out. We're great now."

"Until he decides you're wrong again."

"He takes responsibility for his actions, Braelyn," Allegra said pointedly. "He apologizes all the time."

"Does he mean it?"

Allegra's eyes widened. She looked away from her mentor and started to hyperventilate. Braelyn knew immediately that she pushed her too far. Allegra started to sob, and Braelyn tried to fix her mistake.

"Allegra, you can stop this. You can. I'll help you. You can leave-"

The door opened and a man was standing there. He was tall and had the Seam look, except for much healthier. He was strong-built and wore a snarl, eyes ice cold.

"Honey, I'm home!" he trilled.

Allegra was too far gone to notice. She was sobbing and curled up into a little ball. Hoke quickly strode into the room.

"What did you do, you hag?!" he asked, snarling at her.

"I… I-" Braelyn didn't know what to say.

"Who's the only one that can calm her down? Me! And you think you know what's best for my Allegra, my ass!" he ran his hands through Allegra's hair, and she buried her face in his chest, quieting considerably.

"Get the hell out of my house." He said, snarling at Braelyn. The woman quickly stood up as he shouted "NOW!" over Allegra's sobs.

Braelyn quickly left, scared of the man. She was sorry she couldn't help Allegra.

 _I have a chance to talk to her some more alone_ , Braelyn thought. _Maybe I can make some good come out of these Games._

* * *

 _ **A/N: Did you read all of this first or just come down to see the tribute list? Because honestly I don't care which I hate authors that make people feel guilty about scrolling down to see the list. I don't enjoy the chapters if I'm in suspense about whether or not my tribute made it, so I don't expect you to read all of this first.**_

 _ **Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who submitted a character. There were many characters that I totally loved but unfortunately just could not make fit. However, I encourage you to resubmit them, because I'm sure there are authors that would love to write with them.**_

 _ **I know that you may be dissatisfied with the results, but I ask that you please just be polite with me no matter what. If you would like to know why certain tributes of yours did not make it, please send me a PM, I will gladly explain my reasoning.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as last chapter. Favorite mentor in this chapter, favorite pair in this chapter, and any ideas/headcanons about how mentors and tributes will interact if applicable.**_

 _ **Also, you are all invited to my SYOT forum if you haven't come on already! Spread the word, I want as many SYOT writers to be on as possible! Link's on my profile, or you can search forums for "SYOT Alliance" :) So if you haven't, feel free to come on!**_

 _ **Alright, back to the tribute list.**_

 _ **A sidenote: Some tributes were moved around to their backup Districts, so please check the whole list because you never know where the tributes ended up.  
**_

 _ **One more time, thanks to everyone who submitted characters! If you didn't get a tribute in and would like to submit a stylist or something, send me a PM and we'll talk.**_

 _ **Alright, without further ado, the list!**_

 **District One**

 **Female:** Wicke Valentine, 18- Sinfonian Legend

 **Male:** Chancellor "Chance" Magnusun, 17- bLizzieard

 **Female Mentor:** Blessing Natale, Victor of the 107th Games. Won at 18.

 **Male Mentor:** Cartier Candelaria, Victor of the 97th Games. Won at 18.

 **Escort:** Namibia Fuchsia, 59- Platrium

 **District Two**

 **Female:** Dania Lidano, 18- LokiThisIsMadness

 **Male:** Acacia Blasdell, 18- Wetstar

 **Female Mentor:** Nona Amatore, Victor of the 119th Games. Won at 18.

 **Male Mentor:** Vesperus Floridius, Victor of the 113th Games. Won at 18.

 **Escort:** Cerena Mai, 48- AmericanPi

 **District Three**

 **Female:** Kaelys Deinard, 18- LokiThisIsMadness

 **Male:** Becquerel "Bec" Pierre, 17- Little Knight Mik

 **Female Mentor:** Ellie Schultz, Victor of the 95th Games. Won at 15.

 **Male Mentor:** Tav Kohl, Victor of the 102nd Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Alanena Tara Harmony, 31- LokiThisIsMadness

 **District Four**

 **Female:** Luna Pentti, 18- rose_cat_forever

 **Male:** Nerio Thames, 17- VeneratedArt

 **Female Mentor:** Michael Spinnaker, Victor of the 121st Games. Won at 17.

 **Male Mentor:** Port Stradlater, Victor of the 114th Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Blushina Sophele, 26- aceswims

 **District Five**

 **Female:** Dyna Holburn, 18- Kate-The-Great-And-Powerful

 **Male:** Joule Barode, 18- tracelynn

 **Female Mentor:** Kelly Fischer, Victor of the 94th Games. Won at 14.

 **Male Mentor:** Timothy Delacroix, Victor of the 98th Games. Won at 17.

 **Escort:** Zeoux "Maxim" Maximillian, 42- Platrium

 **District Six**

 **Female:** Desiree Menghiasi, 15- Platrium

 **Male:** Rigley "Riggs" Fidler, 18- HogwartsDreamer113

 **Female Mentor:** Anatoly Carlyle, Victor of the 111th Games. Won at 14.

 **Male Mentor:** Gian Mariani, Victor of the 123rd Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Jovia Amii Kincandine, 32- tracelynn

 **District Seven**

 **Female:** Persei Holloway, 15- 0KiCat0

 **Male:** Syca Gallen, 15- TheEngineeringGames

 **Female Mentor:** Helen Bethel, Victor of the 120th Games. Won at 15.

 **Male Mentor:** Kendal Beck, Victor of the 84th Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Anakyn Skyavich, 19- ShunKazamis-Girl

 **District Eight**

 **Female:** Ester Perliam, 16- DaughterOfTigris

 **Male:** Semper Celandine, 15- AKLNxStories

 **Female Mentor:** Anthony "Ant" Tidwell, Victor of the 88th Games. Won at 18.

 **Male Mentor:** Tartan Vincent, Victor of the 108th Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Bonita Beauxford, 25- Singlewave

 **District Nine**

 **Female:** Juniper "June" Fisher, 18- david12341

 **Male:** Jasper Pearce, 18- david12341

 **Female Mentor:** Vale Dimitrov, Victor of the 89th Games. Won at 18.

 **Male Mentor:** Prentice Tholberg, Victor of the 124th Games. Won at 17.

 **Escort:** Demetrius Romano Constantine, 20- AmericanPi

 **District Ten**

 **Female:** Miya Bellion, 18- misfit-right-in

 **Male:** Attila of the Windy Plains, 18- GalacticCoach

 **Female Mentor:** Roxanne Tilki, Victor of the 92nd Games. Won at 13.

 **Male Mentor:** Arthur Warrick, Victor of the 112th Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Charlemagne Richie, 43- HogwartsDreamer113

 **District Eleven**

 **Female:** Daria Junius, 15- goldie031

 **Male:** Oleander "Ollie" Kirk, 17- HogwartsDreamer113

 **Female Mentor:** Chervil Van Laren, Victor of the 109th Games. Won at 15.

 **Male Mentor:** Skeeter Hofstadter, Victor of the 79th Games. Won at 18.

 **Escort:** Bonaventure Abatescianni, 26- Celtic! :D

 **Distr** **ict Twelve**

 **Female:** Ashlyn Bayard, 17- Golden Moon Huntress

 **Male:** Jacques Noir, 18- AmericanPi

 **Female Mentor:** Braelyn Colonomos, Victor of the 90th Games. Won at 15.

 **Male Mentor:** Allegra Pakulski, Victor of the 118th Games. Won at 16.

 **Escort:** Ambrose Gavriil Dionte, 22- TheEngineeringGames


	6. District 1: Ice and Fire

-Chancellor Magnusun, 17 District 1-

 _One Year, One Month Before the Reaping_

It was sunny spring day when Chance had the courage to be honest with himself.

Maybe he'd known for a while, but he'd never been honest. Now he was stepping out of his comfort zone. But goddamn it all, goddamn whoever had the audacity to call Chance Magnusun a _coward_.

He was so confused, though. Chance didn't like many people. He may have pretended to, but deep down he just didn't. He didn't know why he was this way, it was just… Part of him. He couldn't change it, he couldn't do anything about it. It was rare when Chance ran into a person he liked. But somehow, against all odds, he had. A person he liked more than… Anyone. Anything.

He had to tell him.

Chance was known for his spontaneity and courage, and he wasn't going to let fear cut into him.

He couldn't sit still through his Games Theory Class. How was he supposed to care about the theses about Atticus Hollow when he was about to jump into the unknown?

He had to know.

He _had_ to know how he felt.

As soon as the bell rang, Chance was out the door. He found his best friend by the water fountain, talking with Crusade Chandler, who was scribbling down notes on a tablet. It may have just been an interview for the school newspaper, but Chance felt a wave of jealousy crash over him. Something about the way Crusade blinked those innocent green eyes at him, something about his interested smile that pampered Marlen, something about that look he was giving… No. He was Chance's friend first.

Chance grit his teeth, crossing the hall to his friend and grabbing his shoulder.

Crusade didn't skip a beat. "Oh, hey! Chancellor, right? Is it true that you're tied with a seventeen-year-old for first place spot for the Games after this one!? I heard that you and Roland got to _share_ a one-on-one with this year's volunteer, Legacy Malone! How was it?! What's he like?! Isn't he great?!" Crusade gave Chance that same wide-eyed look, like he was the most interesting person Crusade had ever seen. When the look was given his way, Chance felt much better, his ice cold glare melting a little bit.

"Legacy is a good guy," Chance said, keeping up his kind façade, even ruffling the kid's hair. "Roland and I are tied, but I want to volunteer next year for the Quarter Quell, even though he'll be 18 and I'll be 17."

"Wow! That sounds like a good story!" the fifteen-year-old gave him a bright smile.

"Any time you need one, don't hesitate to find me," he gave the younger boy a confident grin. Even though he couldn't take more than five minutes of this bubbliness without wanting to kick puppies, he remained kind.

"Thanks!" Crusade said, and Chance could see his attention turning back to Marlen.

"I need to talk to you," Chance said quickly, doing everything to prevent Crusade from paying attention to him. Marlen glanced at Crusade and gestured for him to go on.

When Crusade asked Marlen another question, beaming and admiring him, Chance felt a chill in his gut, sending another icy glare towards the other boy. Finally, Marlen seemed to notice his friend's sudden chilling mood, and scratched the back of his neck.

"Um, we can pick this up later," he said, as Chance grabbed his arm and started dragging him away from that intolerable presence. Ugh, he was so fucking annoying Chance wanted to put a hole in the wall. And that look… Chance couldn't get that look out of his head. He wanted to be sure no one gave Marlen a look like that again.

"Uh, is everything okay?" Marlen was still stunned, not exactly sure what was going on. Chance let him go and walked briskly, his best friend keeping up. "I have arithmetic next, that's down the hall, I should-"

He was interrupted by Chance pulling him into a janitor's closet. The boy, one year younger than Chance, looked stunned.

Chance liked the janitor's closet. It was a private place, and he had the coat of darkness to hide any breaks in his demeanor. After all, this wasn't easy. It could possibly be the most difficult thing Chance ever did in his life.

Chance knew everything about weapons. He knew how to break Roland. He knew how to train, how to fight, how to take down any opponent. He was familiar with the Games, and he was no stranger to the art of manipulation. When it got down to it, he just simply wasn't afraid of using others as stepping stones if it was for his own improvement. It was for the greater good, Chance figured.

He may've known a lot about battle, but he knew _nothing_ about love.

He'd never done anything like this before. He could throw a knife right into someone's back without batting an eye, but standing here in front of someone he… Loved… He froze.

"Chance, is everything alright?" Marlen was concerned. He had good reason to be. He'd never seen his friend like this. It was so disorienting, not to mention concerning. He hated to see him like this. Maybe these weaknesses meant that Chance was human, but the last thing Marlen wanted was for him to be upset.

"Huh? Yeah, fine," he muttered.

"So, what's this all about? Are you okay? Is it Radiance? Parents? Are they being overbearing again?"

Chance snorted. As if his parents wouldn't be anything but their lovely, strict selves. As if his parents would actually _love_ him instead of drilling their impossible expectations into him.

They wouldn't love him unless he was a Victor. They wouldn't love him unless he married a girl. They wouldn't love him, they didn't love him. His mother bitched at him all the time, his father yelled at him until he was about to cry. They'd built his coldness, his willingness to manipulate and kill and injure, they built it all.

And yet, he never equaled Radiance. Perfect Radiance, who he was constantly competing against, and yet won their parents favor even after he beat her fair and square.

Oh, it was useless. Nobody loved him. Marlen would never love him, this was stupid, pointless, Marlen would tell everyone, Chance would-

"Chancellor?" he asked it softly, with a special tenderness in his voice.

Chance's ice melted immediately. He felt a sudden burst of courage, and spat it out in one breath. "Marlen. I like you."

"Huh?" the other boy sounded surprised. Chance couldn't blame him.

"I… Like you. Strongly."

"Oh… Chance…" Marlen was speechless. "I… Like you too." The 15-year-old reached out to slide his hands into the 16-year-old's.

Chance looked up, slightly stunned. To think that someone like Marlen liked… _Him_. Someone so cunning like him. Someone cold like him. Someone…

"Is… Is this what you really want though?"

Chance looked over at his friend in the dark. "What do you mean?" he was confused. Why wasn't Marlen happy?

"I just… You have these huge dreams."

Chance's brain started functioning again from where it had been letting his heart call all the shots. He hesitated. "Just because my dreams are big doesn't mean that you can't be in them…"

"I can't lie, you know that. I can't keep secrets. Might as well come out to the whole school before someone like Crusade does it for you. I…"

Chance's heart sank. Marlen was right and he knew it. "That's alright though-"

"They'll tear you to pieces. I don't want you to deal with that."

"What, you don't think I'm strong enough to handle it?" he tried to be at least a little lighthearted, ruffling Marlen's hair.

"I know you are. I just…"

"Sh." Chance knew what he was trying to say. He'd just been dancing around it. "You know me better than… Anyone. You know that…" he hesitated. This didn't seem like a good thing to say in that moment.

"Chance, it's okay. Your brain is stronger than your heart. Your ambitions are more important than your happiness right now. With all that pressure from your parents…"

Chance reached out and cupped his jaw with a hand, finishing the thought for him as a quiet whisper. "I can't have anything distracting me from my goal. I have to win my parents' favor, and if they hear about… Y'know… They'd disown me before I even got to make them love me. I'm sorry Marlen, I shouldn't have even said anything, this was stupid, I shouldn't have-"

Marlen laughed, but it was half-hearted and Chance knew it. "It's okay. Feels better to just… get it off your chest, huh? Put it out there. Makes it… Easier to move on. Y'know. Get over it."

"You don't have to lie to me, I know I hurt you." Chance wasn't one for dancing around the point. "I didn't mean to, but I did."

"It's okay. I'll survive. We'll be fine."

There was a pause before Marlen spoke again.

"Was it obvious?"

"Huh?"

"Was it obvious that I had feelings for you?"

Chance laughed a bit. "No, it wasn't. Well, maybe a little bit sometimes, but I honestly had no idea." He was usually good at figuring people out, too. Especially people he knew well, like Marlen.

"Oh." Marlen laughed a bit too, slightly more genuine than the last time but still not quite.

"Why? Was I obvious?" He didn't _think_ he was.

"I dunno, you were awful possessive back there with Chandler. He was just trying to interview me. You acted like we were making out in your living room." He laughed, and Chance felt a hot blush spread across his face, covered by the darkness.

"I… I just-"

"It was fine," Marlen laughed. "It was cute."

"I am _not_ cute. I'm District 1's rising star, for Panem's sake! I'm going to volunteer for the Quarter Quell and move the nation and my parents are going to fear me and perfect Radiance is never going to speak my name again!"

" _And_ you're cute." Marlen giggled a bit. Chance had never heard him make that noise before, but he loved it.

He just huffed. "I'm not _cute_. Cute people die in the Games."

"I dunno, I'd argue that Gian Mariani is pretty cute."

Chance felt the chill of possessiveness come back. "He is _not_."

Marlen giggled again. "Not as cute as you." It seemed that Chance just would not win this battle. He felt so lightweight and carefree. Here he was, in love with his best friend, who loved him back so… Tenderly. And yet…

"This isn't going to happen. I'm really sorry. I just… I can't take this risk right now, Marlen." The mood plummeted. Marlen drew back, and Chance felt horrible this had to happen to him. He quickly moved in closer to his friend, cupping his jaw in his hand again. He rested his forehead against Marlen's and closed his eyes.

"When I get back," he whispered. "When I become the most admired, powerful man in all of Panem, when I move away from my parents and give Radiance and Roland and Avalon the finger… When I become the epitome of what it means to be a man, and nobody will have the authority to question me… Maybe then we can be together. But… It may be in both of our best interests to… Move on…"

"You're right," he whispered back quietly. He sounded upset, but Chance couldn't blame him.

They were so close. This would be the his only opportunity… Chance's heart took over, and in an act of passion he leaned forward and slid his lips against Marlen's. Not his first kiss, but the first one that really mattered. Gravity seemed to shift when Marlen kissed him back, deeply and meaningfully, sliding his arms around Chance's waist.

Chance would've liked to stay there forever, but at the realization that they could be exposed in a flash, he pulled back.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"It's okay." Marlen was smiling, Chance could hear it, but he sounded so damn sad. "You look and sneak out first. I'll wait for a while and go when the coast is clear."

"You're amazing. You're really, really, amazing," Chance said quietly.

Marlen's voice quivered. "Just go. You don't have to pity-praise me."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Fine. Please Chance. We'll talk later."

"Okay. See you later Bud." Chance opened the door a crack, then slipped out of the closet unseen. He could hear Marlen sniffling, but figured it was best to let his best friend have some space for now. He walked to class and slid into a seat, still savoring Marlen's taste on his lips.

And so ended the biggest challenge Chancellor Magnusun ever had to conquer to date.

* * *

-Wicke Valentine, 18, District 1-

 _One Week and Three Days Before the Reaping_

It was the day of Wicke's life.

All of her work had led to this day. Everything she had hoped for, everything she ever wanted depended on this day.

She and Rhode were neck and neck. Every skill Wicke had, Rhode matched. Every skill that Rhode had, Wicke worked and worked and _worked_ until she could equal. Not one girl had been able to outdo the other. Rhode was hanging out in first place, had been for a while, but today, that was all going to change.

Wicke's parents didn't even notice that she was awake. They were on a holo call with Elton, Wicke's older brother, who was attending university in District 3. Wicke had not even applied to university. She wouldn't need to.

"I just…" Holiday said, sighing, "I wish your sister had half the ambition you did, Sweetheart."

Wicke felt a flare in her breast. On any other day, she would have argued, but she needed to save her energy for things that actually mattered.

"Aw, is she gonna come join her big brother at school?" Elton asked, the cocky smirk obvious in his voice.

"She hasn't even _applied_ ," Holi sounded frustrated as all hell. "She's not even that good at training."

That was it. Wicke _seethed_ with anger. That would just put a bigger, hotter fire under her ass. She had to succeed.

"She's not _really_ going to volunteer," Gladion, her father, sighed. Wicke didn't have time for this. She went out the door with a huff, slamming it behind her. She kept her chin up, her dark brown hair back tightly in a bun, wearing her most comfortable training clothes. She walked to the Academy, her nerves flying wild.

"Wicke!" Amelie broke out from where she had been nestled between her partners, Opal and Sterling. She took her best friend by the hands. "Are you ready for today?"

"I am ready to make my parents wish they never doubted me," she responded. "I'm ready to slide into first and be selected to volunteer."

Sterling jogged over and slapped Wicke's shoulder. "That's our girl! You're sure gonna sock it to Rhodadadada!"

"Rhodadendrum," sighed Opal, the most Wicke's ever heard them say at once.

"Rhode," Sterling said decidedly. "Not the first word I had trouble saying. One time I accidentally-"

"Let's talk as we walk," Wicke said, turning to walk briskly toward the Academy. "I need to stretch and warm up before the big fight."

Sterling launched into his story, putting his arm back around Amelie and pulling Opal closer with his other as they walked. He was so chatty, Wicke had trouble keeping up with him. As they walked, her mind wandered to what her parents had said. What they _always_ said.

A fire burned in her. Nothing would stop her on the way to success, victory, glory.

They got the Academy, where very few people were training. People were already starting to crowd around the mats where Wicke and Rhode would face off in the fight of their lives. Most of them were Rhode's friends, all of whom worshipped her like she was oh so perfect. Wicke looked away, making a face. Rhode was often treated like she was the hottest stuff.

Wicke felt eyes on her and glanced over to see one of Rhode's admirers, Eternal, watching her. The boy had a black eye and plenty of injuries that were hidden under his shirt, Wicke knew it. He had been seeing Wicke a month ago: he asked her out on a date that, at the time, she didn't know was a date. They had the most awkward meal ever, and he insisted on walking her home. On the way, he went one step too far, and didn't stop when she asked. So, she took the initiative and kicked his ass.

She smirked a bit as he looked away, back to Rhode, who was probably much more open to that stuff.

Wicke just simply didn't want sex. There was no traumatizing explanation for it. She never thought about it unless her mother or friends brought it up, she just didn't want it. Maybe it was just because of stress like her mother said, or because Wicke's training and success came first. She wasn't sure. But, she didn't spend too much time worrying about it. She had other things to worry about.

Rhode's many friends took turns giving her pep talks as Wicke put her bag down and started stretching. She was quite flexible, and stretching well could possibly be the one thing she really truly had over Rhode.

Amelie coached her through warmups while Sterling went to play with some bows and Opal went with him to watch. Wicke could always count on her best friend to be there for her, which she loved. Soon, it was time to start.

"You got this!" Amelie said, as she took Sterling's arm, who was already cheering loudly.

Wicke stepped out onto the mat, taking a deep breath.

This was it. This was her only chance to solidify her position as the selected volunteer. This was her chance to finally be first. Not second. _First_. Wicke had been hungry for this day for so long. This was something Elton would never dream of doing because he couldn't. This was everything Wicke wanted. She felt it burning in her chest, spreading through her whole body. When she closed her eyes, she could see, feel the fire.

Her heart beating quickly, Wicke traded out the sharp war scythe in favor of one made of wood. Despite the pressure and her anxiety, a smile spread across her lips. This was _it_. This is the day she turned everything around.

"Alright, alright!" the crowd silenced when District 1's most recent Victor spoke. Clear Roberts smiled at the trainees. "Everyone step back, give these girls all the room they can have. There won't be a crowd in the Arena." The group of trainees stepped back, all of them bursting back into chatters.

The 119th Victor spoke. "District 1 has not had a Victor for a while, and it's about time for that to change. And one of these girls is going to have the chance to change it." He turned to the trainees. "Ladies, everything that is fair in the Games is fair here. Hold up three fingers to tap out, if that happens the fight stops honorably. If the trainers stop you, you freeze how you are. It's probably because we're assessing injuries, as if the weapons were real."

Wicke's grip on her war scythe tightened, and Rhode grinned at her behind her wooden sword. Rhode was just as excited as Wicke. Wicke's fire burned stronger, brighter, hotter. She wasn't going to let Rhode have this. It was _Wicke's_ time to shine. The crowd started cheering, Rhode's name the loudest of all. Wicke could hear Sterling and Amelie behind her above the overwhelming cheering for Rhode. She brought her attention back to the fight, putting on her game face.

"Alright. I think it's time. Ladies, good luck. And may the odds be ever in your favor." He stepped back, and the first fight began.

Wicke lost the first fight with a sword to her heart, which caused the fire in her gut to burn brighter. After an intense second fight, Wicke dominated her opponent. The third fight would seal it for good.

Wicke never felt more pressure in her life, but she was ready to deal with it. She was ablaze, determination wild, drive stronger than ever. She walked back to her side of the mat, panting slightly as they waited for the third battle to begin. This was it. The whistle blew.

Rhode and Wicke charged at each other full-force, and Wicke knew this was going to be a long fight.

Wooden blade clacked on wooden blade as both of them tried to secure the offensive. Wicke tried her best to be agile and quick, but for every attack Wicke started, Rhode started one of her own. For a while, the two girls moved quickly. Wicke stayed focused, watching her attack patterns, mind racing. She went for a left slash, then right slash, then tried for a stab. When she defended Wicke's left swipe, she always went for a leg shot. When she defended Wicke's right swipe, she almost always went for a power shot.

It was a pattern, and Wicke's mind kept going, trying to decipher how she might go about ending it. Wicke tried to launch into offense, each time analyzing how Rhode defended. She was quick on her right side, but not quite as good with her left. She was still quick, though, so Wicke would have to plan well and wait for the perfect moment. With each moment, the fire burned brighter. It was consuming Wicke. Failure was not an option.

Rhode charged her, attacking with her sword. She swiped it across Wicke's shoulder. The room was so quiet Wicke was sure she could hear the pencils of the Victors writing on their clipboards. Wicke stayed in the fight, defending herself against Rhode's attacks, some of which she'd never seen before. Wicke noticed the look in her eyes that signaled that she was about to break her pattern, but Wicke was ready.

Launching back into offense, Wicke went for a left swipe, clanking against Rhode's sword. The other girl smirked at her competition, as if she was sure Wicke was stupid for playing to her right side. Wicke knew what was coming next. As she prepared for her next strike, Wicke bent quickly her knees, tightening her abs and legs. She put her arms back, and as Rhode swiped her sword down by Wicke's calves, Wicke jumped, throwing her weight backwards like she was so familiar with. Her foot made clean contact with Rhode's face and caused a small shriek to come from her as Wicke broke her fall with her hands and quickly got back to her feet.

Rhode didn't let the shock last long, but now Wicke was in control. Rhode's jaw was bruising already and looked to be in pain, but she still defended Wicke's attacks cleanly. Wicke moved in closer, creating a pattern as she made a strategy, trying to make Rhode believe she had Wicke figured out. Their blades clacked together loudly. The wooden weapon felt awkward as compared to the slick, sharp metal blade, but Wicke's determination would never cease.

In that moment, she was a lioness, on the hunt for success and victory. She broke her pattern with a swift attack to the left side, throwing Rhode off with an attack she'd been preparing for months. Rhode didn't know she'd been working on the maneuver, but it successfully swept her off of her feet and allowed Wicke to swiftly swipe the wooden weapon across her opponent's neck. Rhode's eyes were wide as Clear called, "Stop!" and both girls froze, panting. Wicke dared to move her gray eyes up to look at the mentors, who were watching a replay of the events on a tablet.

"We have made our decision," Cartier Candelaria said decidedly, "You may break." Wicke's heart soared. She tried to keep her hopes at bay, though. She didn't offer Rhode a hand to help her up.

Blessing Natale, who always looked fabulous, even in the drab jumpsuits of the Academy, stood up, looking around at the trainees and smiling. "The Victors' council has decided. The female volunteer for District 1 for the 125th Hunger Games will be…" Wicke's heart went to her throat. "Wicke Valentine."

Rhode's friends applauded politely, Amelie and Sterling cheering loudly and clapping. Wicke held her chin up higher, beaming. Rhode looked utterly defeated, shocked, and had an expression as if she had just eaten something extremely sour. Wicke's heart soared. She beamed proudly, accepting the applause. She gracefully shook the Victors' hands, and when she turned around she locked eyes with a boy she recognized well.

"Congratulations Miss Wicke," Chancellor Magnusun held his hand out for her to shake, giving her a confident smirk as he flipped some black hair out of his almost faded-looking blue eyes. The 17-year-old had beat out his 18-year-old counterpart, and was the talk of the Academy. She saw his best friend Marlen standing next to another girl, Wylyn Betryce, who came out as a lesbian around the same time Amelie was flirting with Opal and Sterling.

She'd been keeping tabs on him from the time he'd declared he was going to beat Roland: the way he flirted with Wylyn, seemingly genuine, the way he smiled at Marlen, made him seem compassionate. But the way he'd destroyed Roland, the way he treated the other trainees, the way he injured and bruised, the way he sweet-talked the same people he stabbed in the back… Wicke knew she had to watch her back with this one.

He threw a confident, somewhat affectionate look over his shoulder, but Wicke wasn't entirely sure he was looking at Wylyn. Like Wicke, he didn't have a bunch of friends. He kept smirking in a way that reminded her of Elton.

"I'll be sure to give you a heartwarming eulogy on my Victory Tour." His eyes were menacing, his posture screaming for her to fear him.

Wicke puffed out her chest and squeezed his hand hard and shook it firmly, smirking, reveling the look on his face when she refused to fear him.

"As _if_ ," she said confidently, swiveling on her foot. "I'll see you during the lock-in." She strutted away from him and to her celebrating, excited friends.

She refused to be second place to anyone ever again.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: GUESS WHO ACTUALLY PROOFREAD THIS CHAPTER? ME :D BE PROUD OF ME DAMMIT**_

 _ **Alright, our first tributes! Obviously, if you haven't guessed yet, I'm not writing reapings at all. Instead, I'm using tracelynn's idea of writing scenes pre-reaping for each tribute. Honestly I just think it's easier for all parties. Easier to write, more fun to read. I mean, if you WANT me to write 24 reapings, please, let me know. XD**_

 _ **Anyways, a special thanks to bLizzieard and SinfonianLegend for sending in Chance and Wicke, respectively! Honestly, I enjoyed this chapter soooo much because I love both of these characters and feel like I was able to hit them both. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_

 _ **Also, a sidenote: Crusade is a character I made because I felt like it and we need a new Gravity fucking Stowers, right? If you didn't read Silhouettes, just… don't worry about it XD It's a meme thing.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as any other SYOT. Thoughts on the tributes? Which do you like better? If applicable, how'd I do with your tribute? To get the 10 points you have to answer all of the question parts that are applicable to you. I have to be stricter about this whole points thing because I think we can all agree that Silhouettes sponsoring got a little out of control XD**_

 _ **Also, taking an idea from my friend HogwartsDreamer113 and I'm doing a pattern with the reapings. So next chapter will be District 12, then 2, then 11, then 3, 10, 4, 9, etc. I feel bad that people with tributes in 12 always have to wait so long. So yeah, I'm doing a pattern because you know what, I like it that way. And I'm the author so what I say goes.**_

 _ **Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated here! Thanks so much for reading and supporting!**_


	7. District 12: One Story, Two Perspectives

-Ashlyn Bayard, 17, District 12-

 _Three Years, One Month Before the Reaping_

Ashlyn kept looking over her shoulder to make sure he was still keeping up. She had run ahead of her twin brother Aspen, challenging him to catch her. He was up for the challenge, but the head start she'd gotten was substantial.

She saw him coming, getting closer, and took off, laughing like crazy. Soon she could hear the giggles of her twin behind her, and knew she would have to run even faster. She powered forward, only stopping when she could no longer hear his voice or his footsteps behind her. She immediately felt bad for separating from him, and started to backtrack.

District 12 wasn't all too bad, but she started to worry that something might happen to her brother while they were apart. The possibility of something happening to her existed as well, but Ashlyn wasn't focused on that. She kept backtracking, looking around, but Aspen was nowhere to be found. She couldn't even see footsteps to give her some idea of where he was.

Maybe… Maybe he had gone a different direction after losing sight of her. Surely he wouldn't have gone off the path they knew. They were fourteen, so they could find their way back if they strayed a bit, but Ashlyn didn't think it was a great idea to stray too far away. It appeared as if that was what Aspen had done, which confused Ashlyn. She looked around, puzzled.

"Boo!" her brother came running out from behind a tree, and Ashlyn screamed, startled at the sudden loud noise. She stared at her brother's tanned skin as the details of his freckles came into focus. His brown eyes turned from amused to concerned when he noticed how spooked she looked, and he became apologetic immediately. "Aw, I'm sorry Ash, I didn't mean to scare you!"

"That was _not_ funny!" she said, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "I thought you went off the path completely and were lost or something."

"But I wasn't. I won't do it again, I promise." She knew he meant it. Even if his jokes were important to him, if it really bothered her (which it did, she was worried sick), he would stop.

Ashlyn crossed her arms. "You'd better not." She wanted to be mad at him for scaring her like that, even if it was kind of funny in hindsight. He just looked so sad, and she knew that he hadn't meant to upset her, that she couldn't be too mad for too long.

"We can just start home," he said, and he sounded so guilty Ashlyn couldn't help but forgive him.

"Not so fast. We still haven't visited the bush." The twins' father, who had shown them the importance of walking just for the sake of walking and shown them different paths he liked to take home from work, had also pointed out the bush of wild berries that grew about fifteen minutes from their house. The twins checked it every day, hoping to find at least a handful of the delicious black beauties, though they rarely found any. They knew that there were strays and wild animals that ate from the bush, maybe even other families that were worse off than them.

The Bayards were middle class, and when money was poured into District 12, they were one of the many families that benefitted. They were never hungry and lived comfortably, like many other families that had once been starving.

They walked along the road together, this time not chasing each other. Instead, they walked slowly, enjoying the sun on their skin and the promise of spring. After a long, cold winter, the sixty degree weather felt absolutely perfect. Ashlyn had a certain spring in her step at the thought of berries, sweet and juicy. They hadn't eaten any in the winter, when the weather was biting cold and neither twin had hats or scarves.

When the snow came, they couldn't afford to stray off the path like that. It was just too cold. Now, though, the weather had seemingly broken, and the twins were out on their first walk of the spring. Ashlyn felt enlivened and rejuvenated as they walked. The breeze was slightly chilly, but compared to the weather of the past few months, it was nothing.

Ashlyn felt so happy she sang. She sang and had a skip in her step as she became more and more confident. Ashlyn just couldn't keep the music inside any longer, she was so energetic and happy. The sky was perfectly blue, the clouds were fluffy and floating carelessly in the sky, and the sun was shining bright and warm. She spun around as she sang her favorite songs, upbeat songs about love and friendship and happiness, and it felt absolutely amazing. She could almost hear the big brassy accompaniment as she sang out loud.

Under President Rutilus, the radio-waves opened up, and a mass revival of music happened. Everyone that had compact discs of songs from the past, anyone that had music was encouraged to share it. Now, listening to the radio was common practice in all Districts, and songs from all different time periods were popular. A lot of artists in the Capitol were recording songs, whether it be their own renditions of old songs or original music. Ashlyn's mother liked to listen to classical music: the Capitol symphony and such. They always talked about the various performers of concertos and such: Viridian Turner, Brio Leighton, Padme Bundren, Venetia Savage. Recently, the big buzz was about the Wallace twins, both of whom made history by playing with the Symphony at the young age of 16.

Ashlyn, however, preferred songs with words. She loved Brid, a female artist with an amazing voice and awesome hair.

But, no artist in the entire country could compare to her love of Upward Voyager. She _loved_ Upward Voyager, and not just because Philander Markov was out of this _world_ hot. Not only were their songs _amazing_ , they also started in the Districts: District 3, to be exact: and got famous because Pluto Nicastro performed with them when he went to University, which caused the Capitolites to go crazy for them. Ashlyn often daydreamed that someone like Allegra Pakulski would hear her sing someday and help her become famous.

Ashlyn couldn't believe that people in the Capitol got to see their favorite artists perform live… Ashlyn wondered if they'd ever tour the Districts. She _dreamed_ of seeing Upward Voyager live.

She sang anyways, barely thinking about the idea of being made famous like a Victor and meeting Upward Voyager in person, just enjoying the springtime and the sun and being with her brother. They checked the berry bush and were pleasantly surprised. The twins picked berries, a handful for each, grinning at each other.

"Cheers," Ashlyn said, and Aspen grinned at her, eyes alight, flipping some of the brown hair out of his eyes.

"Cheers," he responded, and the twins popped the handfuls of berries into their mouths happily.

"How's Vera?" Aspen asked, his mouth still full as he savored the sweet goodness of the berries. Ashlyn closed her eyes, enjoying the explosions of flavor in her mouth.

"Not bad," she said. "How's Conway?"

"Same old, same old."

Ashlyn sighed. "We should get home. Mom and Cedara are going to need all the help they can get if Juniper throws another tantrum." Their younger brother had some anger problems, but what could they do living somewhere like District 12? Their older sister Cedara was not very good at helping and preferred to be out of the house, but the twins were always willing to try to calm their little brother down. Ashlyn advocated for letting him let out his anger with music, but that didn't seem to work. Nothing seemed to work. The twins loved their brother anyways and tried to do their best to help him, so they started home together.

They walked together, in silence, just enjoying being together. Suddenly, Ashlyn heard a menacing growl behind her and jumped. Aspen looked alert, but had a protective stance. Ashlyn appreciated how he protected her, even if she felt like she was capable of fighting for herself. He meant well, he really loved her and wouldn't want harm to come to her. Ashlyn glanced over her shoulder and saw the silhouette of a man, just walking his dogs. A normal scene, really.

Before they knew it, though, they heard noises behind them, and just as they turned around, the dogs were pouncing. They were huge, and Ashlyn could have sworn they were some kind of muttation they were so strong. The twins were defenseless against them, and Ashlyn felt intense pain as the dogs treated her like a piece of prey. She heard Aspen screaming too, and struggled to get the giant animal off of her. She kicked and pushed as the dogs' claws ripped at her body, causing her to scream in pain. She felt a swipe across her and screamed louder, fighting harder to get the dogs off of her. She fought as she felt the dogs biting at her, ripping off a chunk of the flesh on her arm. She finally wiggled out from under the dog and stumbled to her feet. Aspen kicked the dog off him and yelled, "RUN ASHLYN! I'M BEHIND YOU!"

Ashlyn did as he said, turning and running the other way.

Ashlyn kept looking over her shoulder to make sure he was still keeping up. Blood fell into her eyes and she saw red, but she kept running. Her head throbbed as blood stained her face. It was thick and hot and it stunk, and it hurt more when it was mixed with sweat. The dogs were close behind, but Ashlyn kept running. She ran until she saw a tree, and knew what she had to do.

"The tree!" she said, "We need to climb!" Aspen shoved her forward towards the tree, causing her to stumble as she grabbed the trunk and started climbing. She felt weary and light-headed from the room, and was suddenly hyper-aware of the blood that was trickling out of her wounds. Every single step, every pull was a pain, but she kept going as fast as she could, taking labored breaths as she got to a sturdy branch. She looked down and saw Aspen climbing, much slower than her. His face had lost all of its color, his eyes were becoming lifeless before her. She helped him up as tears started to collect in her eyes.

Her heart hammered in her chest and she closed her eyes. She couldn't speak. She gasped for air, feeling sick and light-headed. She clutched the tree for dear life, afraid of falling off. She could only quiver and whimper as she watched the man catch up, telling the dogs to stand down and reattaching their leashes. He walked away without saying a single word to either of the twins, but Ashlyn would never forget his face.

"We have to get help," Ashlyn gasped, quivering. She felt horrible and could barely see straight, but knew that this was totally necessary.

"I'll go down first," she whimpered, swallowing sobs the best she could. She climbed down slowly, tears blurring her vision as she went. Aspen hadn't made a single noise since they'd climbed the tree. She was so glad to be on the ground again she almost collapsed as soon as she let go of the tree.

"You have to come down now," she called up to Aspen. He didn't move for a second before he silently uncurled, whimpering, and started down. "Careful," she called, voice shaking. A sob escaped her and she couldn't stop it. She could feel her own blood leaking out of wounds all over her body, and the man didn't even say a thing. She would have gone after him if Aspen weren't in such bad shape.

The world seemed to go into slow motion as she watched Aspen put his foot in the wrong place and fell right before her eyes. She screamed as he hit the ground on his back, quickly ran over and knelt beside him.

"Aspen you have to get up," she said quickly, quietly, quivering with sobs. "Aspen!"

Her brother could barely speak. He just whimpered quietly, tears streaming down his face, blood staining his shirt from his injuries. He'd gotten it much worse than Ashlyn, she could already tell.

"Aspen get up!" she shouted, her cheeks becoming wet with tears that came out of her eyes.

"Go get help," he choked out. She quickly ran off, trying to find someone that could save him.

By the time the healers came to find the young man that fell out of the tree, he was already dead.

* * *

-Jacques Noir, 18, District 12-

 _Three Years, One Month Before the Reaping_

"Good morning, dears!" Marie Noir tried to remain optimistic over breakfast, playing the radio as the family ate. It was early and bound to be a long day of work for all of them, but Marie always tried to stay joyful.

"Are you sure you want to come today?" Adrien Noir asked his son. There was a reason that he didn't want Jacques to come, but left it up to the fifteen-year-old to decide for himself.

"I'll come. I have to experience everything," Jacques wasn't afraid of the family's line of work. He never had been before. "I'm ready to work for the business." He seemed sure about it, so Adrien let his son come along as he did every day.

The home was just as dull as Jacques remembered, the rooms trying to look homely, trying to provide comfort to people.

"We have a 12:00 and a 3:00 today. "

"Okay. I'll go light the fireplace."

Adrien hesitated, and when Jacques went into the room, lingered in the doorway. Jacques lit the fire, hoping the room would warm up before people arrived. After he lit the fireplace, his eyes found the body, and froze.

Lying on the table wasn't some old man or woman. Lying on the table, eyes closed, deathly pale, was a boy that had to be younger than Jacques. His brown hair was slightly shaggy, probably in need of a cut, and Jacques could see freckles dotting his cheeks and nose.

This boy didn't die of old age. He didn't die peacefully. Jacques hadn't been allowed to oversee tribute funerals yet, so seeing this boy lying in a casket was something he hadn't been expecting. Adrien strode into the room, knowing that something like this would happen.

"Jacques?"

The fifteen-year-old was surprised that his father's voice sounded somewhat tender. He was usually pretty solemn, working at the home his whole life. Jacques swallowed a lump in his throat as his father put his hands on his shoulders in an attempted gesture of comfort.

He was surprised at seeing the boy, that part was true. He wasn't scarred or traumatized, though.

Just like many things in the world, death was a matter of perspective. That was how Jacques saw it.

For people like this boy's family, death was a monster. Death was unfair and cruel, death was a thief, death reached out and stole this boy away from them. To them, death was eternal darkness, death was a villain, death destroyed everything. Death was heartless. Death was cold. Death was this family's worst enemy.

However, for people like Jacques, death was more like… A business partner. An old family friend. Death took, but death gave. Death was inevitable, and death was the reason that Jacques was a blond merchant boy instead of rotting away in the Seam. Death was necessary. Jacques looked at the boy, and felt numb. He had spent his life surrounded by death. After losing his grandparents, Jacques knew that death was inevitable. No one can defy death. Why waste time fearing it? Why waste time being upset and fearful of a natural process that happens to everyone? Jacques didn't understand. He didn't understand why his sister Susan married at sixteen just to escape it. He didn't understand why she refused to step foot in the home. He felt fine.

"I had to embalm the body yesterday," Adrien said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't warn you."

"It's fine," Jacques said. He turned away from the body and locked eyes with his father. "I'm fine." He meant it. His father looked just as solemn as always, but had a new expression in his eyes. Jacques thought it might have been pride.

"Good boy. Go light the fire in the Gray room. I'll dust in here and put the flowers out."

"Dad?" Jacques wanted to prove that he could take his father's place. He had to do this. "Let me."

Jacques knew the look of pride now as it grew stronger in his father's eyes. "You've matured so well," he said quietly. "You're going to make a fine funeral director someday." Jacques's heart swelled as he gave his father a hug. The truth was that he wanted to run the home. After Susan left, Jacques knew that it was on his shoulders to take up the family business. His parents told him all the time that he didn't have to take the business just because Susan left, but Jacques could see that they really, _really_ wanted to keep the business in the family. He wasn't going to disappoint them. Besides, the life really wasn't all that bad. It made good money, as well. Even with poverty rates lower, District 12 still wasn't the strongest or the healthiest. And, because it was so small, the Noir Funeral Home was almost always the first choice, as it was incredibly well-known and had been in the family for generations and generations.

Even if with the decreasing of poverty-related deaths the number of tribute deaths, old-age deaths, and incidents like this boy's remained high enough that the Noirs were living comfortably.

"How did he die?" Jacques asked quietly, glancing back at the boy as his father let go. Up close, he could see places where there had been cuts that had been stitched and covered so well it looked as if nothing happened to the boy from a distance.

"Dog attack," his father said quietly. "His twin sister was with him."

 _She must hate death right now_ , Jacques thought.

He made a mental to be extra kind to her. For most people, watching someone die in front of their eyes was a traumatizing process. Jacques knew that, and he knew that everyone that attended the funeral would need as much kindness and sensitivity as he had.

"Wow," he said quietly. He didn't know what else to say.

"I'm sure it'll be a full house," Adrien said. "I'll run the funeral, but I want you to be there, sit and watch and take note of the process." There was a pause before he added, almost as an afterthought, "If you think you can handle it."

"Of course," Jacques said, nodding. His father nodded and started out the door, on his way to begin preparing the Gray room for the funeral that would happen in there at 3:00, almost immediately after they would return from burying the boy.

"Father, wait."

Adrien turned around slowly, worried that he pushed his son too far.

"What was his name?" Jacques was perfectly calm. Maybe a little but sullen, but overall just calm. Numb.

"Aspen," Adrien said quietly. He sounded miserable when he spoke next. "Aspen Bayard. A name I will not soon forget."

Jacques nodded as his father left, and went to the supply closet to get dusting supplies. He dusted the chairs and shelves in the room, then he swept the floor, polished the casket, and made sure that not a wrinkle of Aspen's clothes was out of place. He felt fine, being in the room alone with a dead body, it was just another day's work. After everything was looking clean and homely, Jacques went out to get flowers.

As he walked, he tried not to imagine what it must have been like for Seam families that couldn't pull together funds for a funeral. Some people thought the Noirs should have given a funeral anyways, but this was their work. Adrien often said that if they started giving funerals for free, soon everyone would expect free funerals. There were families that were angry about it, but it was only fair. Their home, their rooms, their time, their supplies. They needed money from their work just like the miners and bakers.

Jacques visited the florists. The girl behind the counter didn't look up in recognition when he walked in, so he just cleared his throat. She was only a year older than him, if he remembered correctly.

"Excuse me, Lucy?"

The girl twirled some of the dark blonde hair around her finger shyly. "Hi Jacques," she said.

Even though she was blind, she knew his voice from all the times he'd visited to pick up flowers on behalf of his family. It was one of his first jobs, and he enjoyed the Pine family enough that it was really no problem to pick up flowers.

"I'm here to pick up an order for my father," he said.

"Oh, yes!" she went back to pick up the cart with various nice-looking plants on it her parents had selected when Adrien put in the order. Jacques was amazed by her independence, but she always just told him she did what she had to. He respected her immensely because of that, because he knew how it was.

She brought out the cart. "Want anything else?" She knew well that sometimes Jacques would buy extra flowers when he could, sometimes for his mother, sometimes for his friends Sofia and Isabella Romanov. He knew how much they liked the plants, and that receiving flowers made their day. Sometimes he considered giving some to Mitchell, a boy that was Lucy's age, but figured that Mitchell would just laugh at him. Jacques was pretty sure Mitchell was out of his league, even if the Romanov sisters insisted he should make a move. He didn't want to be laughed at in front of the whole school. He was decently well-liked, and wanted to stay that way if possible.

"Not today, thanks though," he said kindly, getting out the money that had been set aside for floral arrangements. He always paid exact change, but Lucy always insisted on counting just in case. He didn't mind, though, the Pine family deserved money for their flowers. She released him with a kind smile.

"Thanks Jacques. Have a good day."

"Thanks again Lucy." He wheeled the cart back to the home and got to work putting the flowers in the room. He adjusted them a few times before he took the cart to the Gray room for his father to use the rest of the flowers.

He heard the door creak open and footsteps as people entered the room, and quickly realized he was still wearing his working clothes. He and his father went to change into their nice black suits. Jacques was changed first, and was the first to enter the room and greet the family. They were huddled around the casket and all dressed in black. There were two parents, a younger boy, and the girl, who Jacques could tell was his twin. He still wasn't exactly sure how to interrupt a scene like this, so he waited for his father, who was more skilled and knew what to do. Adrien adjusted his hair and when he entered the room, Jacques followed.

"Welcome," he said, shaking the man's hand. "My name is Adrien Noir."

"Grover Bayard," the man said. "This is my wife Myrtle, and our children: Cedara, Ashlyn, and Juniper." Cedara and Ashlyn were still staring at the body, but Juniper turned around and put his hands on his hips.

"I want to go home!" he said, and Myrtle crouched to his height to whisper to him.

"This is my son Jacques." When he was introduced, Jacques gave a polite smile.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Jacques said kindly.

Grover's eyes were dark and heavy, but he tried to smile.

"Please let us know if there's anything we can do to make this time more comfortable for you," Adrien said.

"Thank you," Grover said quietly, wrapping his arms around his oldest daughter, who buried her face in his neck. With both parents distracted, Ashlyn was left alone. Jacques stepped beside her.

"Hi," he said, as kindly as he possibly could.

"Hello." She sounded upset, but Jacques knew that this was normal. She flipped the wavy brown hair over her shoulder and glanced over at him, which was when Jacques noticed the scars. They were hard to miss, four parallel lines running down her face to her neck, the ends covered by her hairline and the neckline of her nice black dress shirt. He immediately frowned and felt nothing but pity for this poor girl, she must feel horrible.

He frowned at her and said, "I know this is a hard time for you. I'm so, so sorry for your loss. You must be in so much pain…"

"Shut up and leave me alone!" She scowled and looked away from him angrily, moving her hair back over her shoulder so it became a curtain, keeping him from seeing her face as she looked into the coffin. Jacques understood that people grieved in different ways, so he decided to let her be for the time being and stepped back. When he looked up, he noticed that his father left the room, and quickly left after him.

More people entered the funeral home and crowded into the Green room where Aspen's body lay, and Jacques looked between the crying people, Ashlyn, who looked angry and devastated. He knew that, just like every other event that could happen, there were two sides to this story. It was just a matter of perspective. To them, this was a loss. For the Noirs, it was a gain.

Jacques watched his father talked, watched Grover and Myrtle break down as they gave eulogies, Cedara talked and tried to reassure everyone that Aspen was in a better place, Juniper even started crying in the middle of the service. Ashlyn sat, curled into a ball, and said nothing. Barely even shed a tear.

Jacques was respectful, but didn't feel a thing.

Death was inevitable. Death would take everyone. Death would take his parents, his sister, death would take him.

He just didn't understand why people were so mad at death.

They lowered the fourteen-year-old into the ground, and Jacques just felt anxious.

This was going on pretty long, after all.

They might be late for their 3:00 appointment.

~.~.

 _ **AN:: Both of these POVs ran a little long, but I hope you didn't mind!**_

 _ **So it's been a while since I last updated, and the reason for that is because I spent my break feeling weak and horrible because of the good old stomach flu. So yeah, that wasn't great. Now I'm back at school and feeling better, so updates will get back on track, I promise.**_

 _ **Also, just a side-note, but not every District of tributes is going to be connected, I promise. I just thought that this was a good way to contrast them and characterize both of them with the same story. I hope you liked it.**_

 _ **Big thanks to Golden Moon Huntress and AmericanPi for Ashlyn and Jacques, respectively! I hope you liked them, I feel like I was able to hit both tributes in this chapter. Obviously they're kind of young in this part but we will get to see more of their friends/family/evolving relationships as the story progresses.**_

 _ **Alright, so yes. More consistent updates starting now, and I'll try to get a blog up sometime this weekend. Sound good? I'm doing my very best here.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as last chapter. Thoughts on the tributes? Who'd you like better and why? If applicable, how'd I do with your tribute?**_

 _ **Thanks for all your reviews and support, I'll see y'all soon (hopefully!) in District 2!**_


	8. District 2: Destiny

-Acacia Blasdell, 18, District 2-

 _Two years, Six Months before the reaping_

District 2 was _alive_.

Acacia loved her District all the time, but it was times like this that she was amazed by just how… Well, _amazing_ it was. The Town Square of the District was bustling as people from all over had come, hoping to just get a tiny glance at District 2's newest Victor in person. Like many, Acacia loved it when her District got a new Victor. She loved when the Victory Tour delivered the Victor home, and people camped out in the front with the hopes of seeing them.

The first Victory Tour Acacia remembered seeing was all the way back when she was only six years old and Vesperus Floridius had just won the 113th Games. After a dry period of nine years, District 2 finally had a Victor again. The festivities were amazing. Acacia sat on her mother's shoulders, while her 3-year-old sister Reen sat on their other mother's, and watch the boy on stage greet the cheering District. Skor was 8, too big to sit on shoulders, but their parent Wil lifted him up so he could see Vesperus cheer with the crowd as his friends cheered for him and howled at him. Acacia was never sure why some of the boys in her District liked howling at each other but enjoyed screaming and clapping as much as everyone else.

Acacia couldn't remember too much more about that day, she just remembered knowing that someday she would be up on that stage. Someday when she was bigger and stronger. The Victor of the 125th Hunger Games.

The next one she remembered was three years later, when Glaucia Sestius won the 116th Games. Acacia's parents took her out to see, but by that point she was too big to sit on her parents' shoulders, so she couldn't see very well. She was nine at that time, and had just finished her first section of training. She remembered Glaucia going around the Academy and helping the younger trainees with their grip and basic technique. And now she was a Victor. Acacia knew that it was her destiny to follow in the footsteps of Glaucia and Vesperus.

Three years after, Nona Amatore won the 119th Games. Acacia, who was twelve at that time, and her best friend Ichor, after much begging of parents, were allowed to camp out together before the Tour came in to get a good spot. Nona was breathtaking, and being up front was exhilarating. Acacia ached to be up on that stage too.

And now, today, Acacia, Ichor, and their other friend Lisgar had slept on the ground to see the District's newest Victor up close. It was exhilarating, really. Ichor, who was number one at the time, had actually gotten to spar with Pluto before they left for the Games, and now he was home a Victor. Pluto also gave Acacia and some of the other fifteens advice and helped them out as a part of his requirement for being eligible to volunteer. She'd seen him around.

Yeah, this was exciting. But what was more exciting would be happening afterward. No, not the banquet, though that was bound to be great. She could hardly wait as they called the newest Victor out onto the stage and everyone cheered. It was going to be the best day of her life to date.

.

The sun had set and the banquet had ended, and the sky was illuminated by stars. It was a beautiful night, really. Acacia sat in the gym of 2's largest Academy, sitting still as Lisgar's paintbrush tickled her face. She held back a laugh as they sat back, examining their work. Then, with an approving nod, they put the brush down.

"Hold still," Acacia said, putting stripes of pink, blue, and green on her friend's face. Lisgar tried not to smile, which would've messed it up. She finished and put the brush down, her lips forming a grin. "There you go!"

"Thanks," Lisgar said, smiling and giving her a thumbs up. The pair was just about to go outside when they saw someone standing by themself, looking around and looking sad, even as the gym filtered out.

"You go ahead, I'll meet you out there," she said, smiling kindly. Lisgar nodded and left, as Acacia approached the lonely person.

"Hey!" Acacia gave the person a kind smile.

"Hi," the person said quietly, looking away. Acacia frowned. Nobody should be sad at pride. She noticed the injuries, of course, but knew it was better not to mention them.

"I'm Acacia! Agender, but I usually use she/her."

"Cantin," mumbled the boy. "I'm… Trans. He/him." He glanced at a sticker sheet, which he was still holding timidly in his hands.

"Want me to help you put it on?"

"I… Don't know."

"That's okay. You can hold onto it and decide later."

"Okay…" He looked nervous as he pocketed the sheet.

"Come on, I think they're making a bonfire and playing music outside."

"You want me to come with you?"

Acacia gave him a kind smile. "Of course I do. Everyone's welcome here. This is a safe space for _everyone_."

"Yeah, but… I don't pass very well…"

"That doesn't matter," Acacia said kindly. She knew it must have been his first pride. "Besides, I think you look quite handsome."

Cantin's cheeks flushed as Acacia held her hand out to him, which he took hesitantly. She hopped excitedly out to where a raging fire was being kept, and all over people with painted faces, stickers, and flags were cheering. Acacia pushed her way towards the front of the crowd, where Lisgar had saved space for her.

"Hey!" she grinned. Cantin seemed shy, so she introduced him and Lisgar and kept holding his hand for support.

A voice came on over the loudspeaker just then, causing everyone to look up.

"Attention!" The crowd quieted. Acacia wanted to squeal she was so excited. The cold air of the winter gave her energy and she couldn't stop smiling. She didn't think that this moment would be this impactful, but it was. It really was. She was in suspense, ready to burst. She bounced on her feet, still holding Cantin's hand. "We thank you all for coming tonight and showing your support! We're here as a celebration. We're here to celebrate without any bounds the courage of knowing who we are, and standing by ourselves. Supporting each other. And now, without further ado, it's my pleasure to present to you, District 2's first ever nonbinary Victor… PLUTO NICASTRO!"

Acacia was one of the first screamers, as the 122nd Victor took the stage, a flag striped with pink, white, purple, black, and blue wrapped around their shoulders. Their full face was painted, and they stood tall as everyone cheered.

Acacia noted that there was no howling. _Must be a cis people thing_ , she thought, laughing.

The crowd quieted as Pluto took a microphone slowly. Not only were they District 2's first openly nonbinary Victor, they were also the District's first autistic volunteer.

"Excuse the fact that I'm tired of rehearsed speeches," they said, looking at the crowd slowly, causing some of the people to laugh and some to whistle. "I just…" they took a deep breath. "Look at all these people… Back home, pride was nonexistent. And now…" they took another breath. "Now we're here! Now we're here and we're proud and we stand together!" the crowd cheered at their words. "People from all over the District…" He broke into a smile. "Don't you dare let anyone tell you that you can't be who you are. Don't you dare let people tell you that you'll amount to nothing someday. Don't you dare let people tell you that you're silly and undesirable, it's not true. You are amazing! You are a treasure! You are strong, you are valid, you're a fucking warrior!"

The crowd cheered and screamed, and Acacia couldn't hold it in any longer. She was so proud of herself and her friends. She was proud to be here.

"Whatever you want to do, you can do it. Don't you dare let anyone tell you that you're not. Be strong! Be proud! You're fucking amazing! You're good enough! We are good enough! We are valid!" The crowd was screaming and Acacia had to be quiet to hear what they were saying. "We are proud! We are strong! Dare to dream! Go out there and grab that bull by the horns! Love your haters to death and then prove them the fuck wrong! Because you are strong! Together, we are warriors! We will survive! We will be proud! And there's nothing they can fucking do to stop us!" They threw their fist in the air and the crowd erupted.

Pluto ran off the stage, laughing as the flag flew behind them like a cape, tackle-hugging another person who was standing with the demiboy flag on his shoulders. Acacia recognized him and the guy with the trans flag on his shoulders from some of the Capitol news programs about Pluto's break-out band Upward Voyager.

Acacia was sure she was going to blow out her voice, but she didn't care. She was so happy. She noticed that, unlike Lisgar, Cantin wasn't cheering and screaming. In the firelight, she could see tears pouring down his face. Acacia did the only thing she knew to in that situation, and opened her arms to him. He practically flung himself at her, sobbing quietly into her neck. Acacia hugged him tightly as the crowd screamed and cheered.

The music started, and the festivities really began. Even when the crowd dispersed to roast marshmallows, eat food, and hang out in the gym, Acacia stayed with Cantin, hugging him tightly.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" she asked quietly, smiling softly.

"Nobody's ever told me that before," he said quietly, hiccupping.

"You're so valid, Cantin," she whispered, which caused him to cry harder.

"My parents told me I'd be dead to them if I came here," he said, before breaking out into sad sobs. Acacia's heart broke. She wasn't sure if it was her place to ask, but she knew her parents would understand…

"Why don't you come live with me?"

He looked up, his face tear-stained as more tears leaked out of his eyes. "Huh?"

"That's a big decision to make right now, so I'll let you think on it, okay? You're welcome with us." She reached up and dried his tears with her thumbs.

"Oh…" he just gave a brief nod before reaching into his pocket and taking out the sticker sheet. Acacia beamed as he dried his cheeks, then peeled one off and put it on.

Acacia put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. "You're strong, Cantin. You're a warrior. You are a man. Nobody's ever going to change that. You're handsome. You can do whatever you want to."

A smile broke across his face and he gave her another hug. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"Look at my new friend Cantin," Acacia said happily, to no one in particular. "He's so cute. He's a cool guy. He's fun. He's strong. He's _amazing_."

Cantin looked slightly giddy, and slightly like he might start crying and/or hug Acacia again, as Lisgar came back from the gym, holding a piece of cloth. "Hey," they said, smiling kindly at Cantin. "I noticed you didn't have a coat."

"Oh…" He smiled as Lisgar wrapped the blue, pink, and white-striped flag around his shoulders, snuggling into it with a happy noise. "Thank you!"

Acacia looked up when she heard an all-too familiar voice call out, "Hey! Blasdell!" She looked up to see the Victor themself, still wrapped up in their flag, approaching them.

Cantin moved closer to Acacia, who ran a hand through her blond undercut, waving. She'd talked to Pluto once or twice, and seen them around at pride, but never had a proper conversation with them outside of training. "Um, hi!"

"Vesperus made cake pops," they said, grinning and seeming more alive than Acacia had ever seen them. "There are still a few agender ones left. I mean, they're delicious no matter what flag, but…"

"Seriously!? That sounds amazing, oh my God!" Acacia grinned as Cantin and Lisgar agreed, still a bit starstruck.

Then, they did something she honestly had no idea they actually knew how to do. They put out a fist, and gave her a firm fist-bump.

"Wolf taught me that," they said proudly.

"It's good," Acacia commented, grinning excitedly, while Lisgar and Cantin nodded quickly in agreement.

The 122nd Victor gave her an uncharacteristically wide grin and a firm squeeze on the shoulder.

"I'll see you in three years," they said. "Give 'em all hell for me."

Acacia saluted. "Will do!"

Pluto was called for by another group of people, so they gave the group a wave and started off in the other direction. Acacia was over the moon by this point.

"Let's go get some of those cake pops!" she said, practically screaming from excitement as she dragged her friends to the gym.

That had just proven it. She was destined to be the 125th Victor.

* * *

-Dania Lidano, 18, District 2-

 _The Night Before the Reaping_

 _Small_. When people looked at Dania Lidano, that was the first word they used to describe her. Of all the words to describe Dania Lidano, small was the one she heard: and hated: more than anything. Yes, she was aware that she was far from the hulking girls she was pitted against for training. No, she didn't need to be told that, she was plenty aware of it. Contrary to popular belief, she was indeed aware that she was a head shorter than pretty much everyone at the Academy. She didn't need anyone to remind her of that.

Yeah, she knew she was smaller than Acacia Blasdell, thanks a lot. She didn't need to be told. Thanks anyways.

Dania's face turned into a scowl as she pushed the doors to the Academy. She had to fight to even get noticed. She was always just _that small girl that would eventually drop out and become a dainty little housewife_ to the trainers for her first years. They were hoping that the little girl would grow into her fiery personality, some kids hit growth spurts earlier than others, but Dania's never came. She was sick of being babied because she was short. Just the thought of it made her grit her teeth as she set down her training bag and adjusted the garment bag that contained only the nicest, most flattering, most expensive dress her family could afford for her. After all, the next day would be her first impression on the entire nation, and she had to be sure it was just how she wanted it.

She only looked up when she heard Acacia's voice, loud and clear. If there was one thing neither of the tributes was, it was quiet. Dania remained polite to her District partner, mostly because Acacia was polite to her, and didn't seem to judge her.

Usually when Dania mentioned that she was the selected volunteer, people had looks on their face that said loud and clear, "Seriously? _That_ girl?"

Acacia did not. When Dania entered the room for the first time, Acacia was sizing her up as a threat, not focused on her stature. Dania appreciated that, and did her best to stay on good terms with Acacia. She'd seen Acacia train before, and Acacia surely saw her train, but they'd never really talked. They had no reason to. Now, though, Dania wanted to know everything she possibly could about her competition.

"Are you ready for this?" Acacia asked, bouncing excitedly.

"I was born ready," Dania said, crossing her arms.

District 2 had a tradition called the lock-in: the night before the reaping, the two chosen volunteers and a posse of their choice were locked into the largest Academy in the District for one last night of training before their big time in the spotlight. Some tributes invited everyone for a fun night, some preferred to go at it alone, some invited friends to motivate and encourage them, and some just invited friends to party and fuck around. Dania wasn't fucking around, and neither was Acacia.

Acacia had invited her friends Ichor, who towered over Dania and was a serious threat with spears and hand-to-hand, and Lisgar, who Dania knew wanted to volunteer the next year even if they hadn't broken the Top Ten of their section yet.

Dania decided to take a different approach. She had invited her older brother Carlen and her mentor, Nona. She knew that Districts that selected volunteers were lucky to have the chance to work with their mentors before they got to the Games, and she intended to take advantage of it.

She could have asked Vesperus to be her mentor, but he was obviously interested in Acacia, and she knew they wouldn't have meshed well. Nona is the kind of person Dania could click with: stubborn, fiery, and tough.

Acacia's friends came first, and Dania could hear her excited exclamations from across the room. She started stretching, knowing that she was in for a long night. She was still trying to master a new move, and knew that if she could just jump right in she could get it done before she left.

She hadn't even been noticed until she'd had enough. When she was twelve, Glaucia Sestius made the mistake of telling Dania that her height would keep her from volunteering and to just give up, and Dania let that bitch have it, Victor or not Victor. Dania had the advantage of surprise, and Glaucia being extremely rusty on training, and was able to draw attention to herself through that. She was just so mad at that. Glaucia had no right to say that to her. She totally snapped at her, pulling her hair and trying to give her a black eye, or at least a scratch. It was probably a good thing she had been holding a plastic axe, not a real one. As uncalled for as it was, it got the attention on Dania, and kept it there. Every time she unleashed herself, she got more attention, and more credibility.

Yeah, looking back she regretted it. She figured she should try to better herself, next time something like that happened she would try to be more patient. When it came down to it, though, Dania put priority on tending to her needs as opposed to those of others, so the next time it happened she totally forgot the guilt and let that other girl have it. She didn't understand how Acacia could just stand there and let fucking Marquette Hilldale talk shit about her. Yeah, Acacia was snarky, but not violent like Dania. It was an important note, stored up in the database of everything she'd need for survival, along with every other detail she may have been able to get on Acacia.

Dania wasn't so polite and civil, and would tear apart anyone that came near her. Sometimes she felt guilty about it, but she eventually got over it and life kept going on. She lived by her two-word mantra: "next time."

She sighed, feeling slightly lost when she was by herself. She ran by the routine that had been set when training, and didn't stray from it.

Another reason she wanted Nona was for some guidance. After all, Carlen may not have volunteered, he was just too kind and good for the Games, and she needed someone with experience to lead her. Vesperus was too soft, but Nona had the way she liked things and didn't change. Dania appreciated that, and needed a set of rules to follow. She knew that Nona's system had worked for her, and it would work for Dania too, if she just followed Nona's lead. Dania didn't like the thought of leading, especially not in something as important as the Games. She trusted her mentor's judgment, and her brother's.

"There you are!" Dania looked up at the familiar voice, and her lips pulled into a smile when she saw Carlen there. She hugged her brother happily. "Thanks for coming."

"Sure thing Sis." He gave her a grin. "I'd be stupid to not be here! It's your last night in the District before you go to the Games and come back a Victor! You'll have so many fans, who knows how often I'll get to see you?"

"I'll make time for you, of course," Dania smiled. Her brother was her best friend, and he was overall the best person Dania knew.

"Aw, thanks!" he said, flipping his little sister's long blonde braid. "So, Nona Amatore, huh? Think I could get her number?" Dania wasn't actually sure if he was joking or not. She'd never really considered what would happen if her brother got a girlfriend or wife, (or if she did), but they had a promise to always have each other's back, so Dania wasn't protective or worried.

"Nona Amatore is so out of your league," she said, eyebrows raised. "Like, _so_ out of your league."

"She's out of everyone's league, though."

"You can try," Dania said teasingly. "But you might want to wait until you're a Victor's brother and not just some wannabe."

Dania let her brother go, grinning up at him. Both of the siblings shrunk a little bit when Nona came in. The 119th Victor looked as fabulous as always, and had kept up with her training since the Games ended. Dania knew that she would be a good coach, and the best sparring partner in the entire District. That's what Dania needed. Carlen was just there for moral support, really, and as an excuse to see the stunning Victoress, who was only a year older than him at twenty-four, in person.

"Well Dania, are you ready to uphold the Rule of Three?"

Dania grinned up at her mentor, who earned her respect by respecting her first. "Of course!" It was true that since Vesperus won the 113th Games, District 2 had a Victor every three years. And now, it was the third year since Pluto Nicastro had made history by winning the 122nd Games. If the pattern continued, District 2 was set for another Victor.

Carlen kept saying how sure he was that the pattern would continue, that Dania would come home but only after President Blossius put the Victor's crown on her head, that Dania couldn't help but believe it. She was just ready to start it.

"Alright, here's our timetable," Nona said, flipping the dark hair over her shoulder and reading through the list.

Nona really was… _fine_. She was exactly what Dania once wished she could be. Tall, with some muscle on her arms and legs, wide hips and blessed in the chest area. Even though she was wearing athletic clothes, Dania was still transfixed.

It was times like these that Dania was reminded just how gay she was. In a District that was so focused on the Games and training, it was pretty easy to forget. Especially with the death match quickly approaching. The Hunger Games wasn't a place for love, Nona and Dania agreed on that. Whatever the Quell twist was talking about was beyond Dania. She knew that she had to do everything to prepare, though, and started early.

"This is the schedule I made for my lock-in," Nona said. "Meanwhile, my idiot seventeen-year-old District partner spent the whole night sucking his girlfriend's soul out." She made a face.

"Fucking Porcius Eldred, right?" Carlen said. "He was in my year of school."

"And… You are?" Nona had an unreadable look on her face.

"Oh, Carlen Lidano, Dania's brother!" Dania watched, amused, as her brother tried to be suave. "Yeah, Porcius was a dumbass. I'm not like him, though. I hated him. He was obnoxious. I'm responsible. A great big brother really. Right Dania?"

Dania sighed, smiling. She never really had nothing bad to say about him. He was funny and a goof. "He's great, but I need to get started on this schedule, and there is no time-slot for flirting."

Nona smirked. "Thatta girl. Have you stretched?"

"Yeah, I think I'm ready."

"Then pick up your axe. I'll grab my spear and we'll do some combat before this show really gets started."

Dania grinned. "Yes ma'am." She took the plastic weapon, so familiar in her hands, and took a deep breath. It was game time now. She had to pretend that Nona was really ready to take her life, and fight back. When her mentor charged, Dania pretended she was in an Arena. Nona was the best fighter Dania had ever been in combat with, and probably better than any tribute she would face in the Arena. She kept on fighting like her life depended on it. She was starting to get fatigued, and felt like it was pointless, fighting someone so powerful, she would never win anyways, why was she trying.

It wasn't until she heard Carlen cheer her on that she got the motivation to burst back into the fight, using surprise to her advantage. Nona may have been tough, but Dania knew that Carlen believed in her, and that was all she needed to continue leashing attacks full-force. Soon, Nona called a break, and the two girls went to get a drink and rest for a second.

"You're getting better and better at that," Nona commented, causing Dania to nod, partially as thanks and partially in agreement. Carlen told them what he observed about the fight, and Dania took mental notes of everything he said about technique, as well as the fight dynamics. No piece of information was invaluable to Dania. Even Nona looked impressed. Carlen was so observant and intelligent. Dania aspired to be like him.

"Alright, break time over! Pretty boy, get a notepad. Write down everything you see. Dania, let's work on building your defense more, focus on your blocking. Get a read on me and plan your offense based on that." She wipes sweat off her forehead, and their next battle began.

By the end of the night, Dania was exhausted. She was glad she invited Carlen, though, because she wanted to hear him tell her good night just one more time before she left. Nona seemed impressed with him, too. Who wouldn't be?

Dania felt ready. This would be her chance to shine. She was going to surprise everyone, and take down her haters. She was ready.

 _Let the Games begin_ , Dania thought, as she drifted easily into the darkness of sleep.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: The Games will begin. Eventually. XD Sorry Dania.**_

 _ **Anyways, got time and motivation so tada, here's an update! Hoped you liked our District 2 tributes.**_

 _ **Big thanks to Wetstar and LokiThisIsMadness for submitting Acacia and Dania respectively. Wow, you guys like to be District partners in my SYOTs, don't you? XD**_

 _ **Just in case it'll help: Acacia isn't a girl, even though she uses she/her prounouns. She's agender, so she identifies with having no gender, she uses she/her because those are the pronouns she feels comfortable using. Just a reminder to do your best to avoid gendered language (especially saying "girl") in reference to Acacia!**_

 _ **Also, putting this on its own line: transphobic reviews have no place here. They have no place on any stories, quite frankly.**_

 _ **Alright, so, here are Acacia and Dania! I hope I was able to capture them and they didn't get overshadowed by some of the other characters (especially mine ;.; I'm sorry if that happened.)!**_

 _ **Oh, I made a blog for this story by the way! It is: just-let-lux-eat-pastries . blogspot . c o m ! (Minus the spaces of course!) Not much is on it as of now but I'll get to work on that… Maybe this weekend? I'm not sure.**_

 _ **Alright, so thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, your support means a lot to me! So, let me know what you think of these two! Any constructive criticism is welcome here! Plus, you get sponsor points for reviewing and answering CQs! Thanks a bunch, I can't believe we're almost at 100 already!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as the last two. Thoughts on the tributes? Who'd you like better and why? If applicable, how'd I do with your tribute?**_

 _ **Thanks for all the support and reviews! See you soon in District 11!**_


	9. District 11: First Days

-Oleander Kirk, 17, District 11-

 _Three Years, Eleven Months before the reaping_

It was truly a perfect day for a summer wedding.

Ollie couldn't have chosen better weather for the occasion himself, though he was sure that even if it was pouring down rain, the atmosphere would have been just as happy and light-hearted. He felt amazing, and couldn't even imagine the excitement of his mother, much less his Uncle! He hadn't taken much time to get ready at all, wearing his nicest white collared shirt and black dress pants for the occasion. Uncle Hemlock had even promised that he'd see about getting a tie for Ollie to wear.

Ollie's mother, Begonia, was dressed in her nicest. The dress she wore made her look even frailer and more hollow than she already did. Ollie was just thankful to whatever might be out there that his mother was feeling well on this day. There were some days when she was kept bed-ridden. Today, luckily, was not one of those days. Ollie couldn't imagine the wedding without her.

"Forsythia, dear! Are you almost ready?" she called, to where Ollie's older sister was still in her room getting ready. It was rare that a family as poor as Ollie's got to dress up nice, so he didn't blame his sister for taking her time to look as good as possible. The truth was that he felt the same way, he was just lower-maintenance. His hair was cropped short, after all, he didn't have to fuss over it, and his outfit wasn't too challenging either.

The 16-year-old appeared in the doorway just then. "Call me Thia," she said irritably.

At that, Begonia recoiled. Ollie knew that she hated it when anyone raised their voices at her. Ollie wouldn't raise his voice at a fly, but Thia was much less sensitive. "I need someone to zip me up."

Ollie's mother looked as if she didn't want to approach Thia, so Ollie did it. Thia turned around after that, and Begonia seemed to pass over whatever had bothered her so much, crossing the room to hug her daughter. Lately, Begonia hadn't hugged her children for fear that they would accidentally break a bone and they'd wind up having to do more miserable hospital visits. However, it was a special occasion today, and Ollie agreed that Thia looked stunning, the white dress perfectly complimenting her dark skin and her thick black hair.

"You look so pretty Thia!" Ollie said, giving his sister a smile, and she couldn't help but return it. "Thanks." She wasn't very used to feeling so beautiful, so she was easily flustered.

"Alright, now all we need is Hemlock."

"Oh, yes! We can't go to the wedding without the groom in tow! I'll go get him, Mom!" Ollie said. He couldn't help his inner romantic, excited for his Uncle on this very special, very important day. He went to the small room that was given to Hemlock, and knocked on the door. "Uncle Hemlock!"

Ollie hadn't seen much of his mother's younger brother, as Hemlock was usually out working, but today was a special day. The man opened the door, and Ollie was surprised at the huge grin that spread across his face as he picked up his nephew in a hug. "Oleander, just the man I wanted to see! Come with me!"

Hemlock went in the room and waited, watching his uncle intently as Hemlock grabbed a piece of cloth and brought it to him. "Here you are. Just like I promised."

Ollie beamed at the tie. "Thanks Uncle Hemlock! Can you tie it for me please?"

"Of course!" Hemlock was usually not this cheery, in fact, he usually intimidated Ollie, but today he was so good-spirited that Ollie half-wished he would continue being like this all the time as a married man. He tied the black tie around Ollie's neck, and Ollie immediately felt ten times more suave.

" _Who's that man in the tie?"_ he imagined Petal asking Tarragon.

" _It's Ollie!"_ Tarragon would say, looking shocked to see her best friend looking so sharp. Ollie would greet Petal and maybe she'd finally notice him.

 _As if._ But it was fun to daydream anyways.

"Alright, we best not be late," Uncle Hemlock said. Yes, there was the strict man Ollie knew.

He and Ollie went out to see the girls. Hemlock hugged his sister while Ollie showed off his tie to _his_ sister. Then, together, the four of them went to the field where the wedding was going to be held. District 11 had so much plant life thriving in it that finding a nice place to commit to each other really wasn't hard. They could have just held it at the Kirk house, there weren't many guests in attendance, but it was such a beautiful day. The sun was warm on Ollie's skin, and while the rest of the District was working hard, the Kirks had taken a much-needed day of rest.

Ollie felt a weight attach itself to his leg suddenly and jumped a little bit.

He just laughed, reaching down and flicked his cousin-to-be's braid in amusement. He knew that he couldn't talk to her until her face was unburied from his leg, so he let her cling for a while before she peeked her brown eyes up at him and waved to her in greeting. The girl had been deaf since birth, and though Thia and Begonia often forgot, Ollie was usually good at remembering. He put an arm around the 5-year-old and held her close to him, causing her to smile.

Fennel appeared soon after her, hugging Hemlock from behind and resting his chin on his shoulder.

"Hey gorgeous," he whispered. In response, Hemlock's ears flushed red, so red that Ollie noticed despite his dark complexion, and started grumbling (something about "in front of the family"), but eventually the half-hearted chastising faded into a content smile. Ollie noticed how relaxed he looked in Fennel's embrace, as opposed to almost all the rest of the time when he's tense about something.

"I'm really ready to be married to you," he said quietly. That had to have been the single most affectionate thing he'd ever said out loud, Ollie was sure of it. Ollie knew that Hem loved his family to pieces, even if he didn't say it. The grooms set up the table and bowls, while the other guests arrived.

"Ollie!" Tarragon came running, also dressed in her best. Her whole family had been invited, including her beautiful cousin Petal, but they had to take the day to work. Tarragon, however, was allowed to attend, considering she was 13 like Ollie and what little work she could do didn't make enough that missing one day was significant. Thia's boyfriend Shale arrived soon after, along with a couple of her other close friends that could afford to miss a day or two.

A couple of Fennel's friends that Ollie didn't know came, along with some of the townspeople who knew one or both of the men from work. It wasn't a large crowd, but it was enough. Begonia avoided the strangers and stayed close to Ollie, intimidated by the unfamiliar faces.

"Hello!" everyone quieted when Fennel spoke. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming today," he said, smiling. He signed, albeit awkwardly and clumsily, but slowly enough that five-year-old Calla could get a grasp of what he was trying to get across. "It's wonderful to see the faces of the people we love here, to share this moment with us. Thank you all for coming. I understand that missing even one day of work nowadays is hard, and thank you for sacrificing bread to be here in fellowship." He was so good with words. Ollie had liked Fennel from the first time they'd met. He was the kind of person Ollie just clicked with immediately. And now, he was here to celebrate their first day together as husbands.

"Now, to taste the four elements." Fennel smiled and walked over to the table he and Hemlock had set up. On it were four bowls, as was the tradition of District 11. Ollie had been looking forward to this part.

His inner romantic loved the District 11 tradition. It was symbolic. The couple would have tastes, just the smallest taste they could buy from the shop, of three less desirable flavors before being rewarded with sweetness. The owners of the market closest to Ollie's house kept the tradition alive by selling small pieces of the foods for affordable amounts, until the couples had paid for the whole fruits' worth.

First, both men picked up a lemon, for the sour part. Ollie wondered what sour tasted like. He supposed he would have to get married to find out someday. Both men ate pieces of the lemon pulp. Hemlock did everything not to make a face, but Fennel didn't hold it back. Ollie was curious about what it must be like to taste sour.

After that, they both drank a touch of vinegar, for the bitter times. Another taste that Ollie wasn't familiar with. It didn't seem to taste good, though, although it seemed better than the lemon. After that, was the one that Ollie was most curious about. There were two small, chopped up pieces of a green pepper. Both men ate one, and both had tears in their eyes. Ollie had no idea that food could make two grown men cry like this. They took a moment to recover before the final piece. Of all the foods on the table, this was easily the one Ollie wanted to try the most. On the table sat two little spoons, each with a drop of honey on them.

"We'll survive the god-awful," Fennel said, laughing, "And the sweet will be worth it, right?"

"Of course it will." Hem looked so lovesick Ollie wished he could afford a camera to take a picture. This was just too good. The men locked arms and fed each other the honey, just as a pleasant breeze made the grass dance. Everyone clapped as Fennel and Hemlock enjoyed the honey together, sealing the deal with a kiss. That was it. They were married. Ollie was so happy for them that he didn't mind that their already crowded house would have another two bodies in it. He just felt plain happy, and excited for his Uncles to be happy as well.

He tugged lightly on Calla's braid, beaming ear to ear down at her. When she looked up, he grinned so wide his cheeks were starting to hurt, making his hand into a C shape and moving it in circles up by his face. When he couldn't sleep at night, Ollie stayed up practicing this sign, just for this moment.

 _Cousin._

Calla returned the sign before she climbed in his lap and threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly Ollie was almost worried he'd be killed by a five-year-old. He knew how she felt, though. He was excited to expand his family, too.

Fennel turned back to the crowd. "We thank you for taking the time to come today. We understand fully if you must keep working, but if you have time, all are invited to stay for some festivities!" The crowd clapped again, and many of the adults left as Fennel put up a radio and turned it on, and as if it were magic, the field burst out into song. Fennel was the first to grab Hemlock's hands and dance, and soon, many of the people remaining were up and moving.

Calla and Begonia weren't as energetic as the others, so Ollie and Tarragon stayed with them, though both of them were itching to show some moves. Calla went running to her father when he and Hemlock approached, and Ollie gave them both a thankful look, taking Tarra's hands and hopping with her to the dance floor. Her hazel eyes, which she'd gotten from her light-skinned mother, sparkled as the friends linked hands and spun to the beat. Neither of them was particularly good, but they were having so much fun it didn't matter.

Part of Ollie wished Petal were here to dance with them too, but that quickly went away when he stopped thinking about it, instead focusing on his friends and family that were here. Even Thia danced light-heartedly, Shale's arm around her waist, looking more entertained than she had in a while. Ollie knew that they'd have to go back to school soon, but that didn't matter then, dancing was just too good to care about anything.

He didn't think about anything negative: future reapings, poverty, a crowded house, his mother's condition, exhaustion from overworking: at all. For now, the moment was great, and Ollie was going to take advantage of it. He and Tarragon danced and had fun until the sun started to sink.

There wasn't much clean-up, and after that, Ollie said goodbye to Tarragon and headed home with his family.

That night, he dreamt of smiling as he put a spoon into Petal's mouth, when he would finally taste honey for the first time.

* * *

-Daria Junius, 15, District 11-

 _Three Years, Ten Months Before the Reaping_

Talk about first day jitters.

It was Daria Junius's first day of school, and she was more than a little nervous. The twelve-year-old usually wasn't nervous about these things, but in her situation, it was hard not to be. After all, she had never attended District school before. Her family had arrived back in the District of her birth just as summer recess had begun, meaning that though Daria had a couple of months to become accommodated with the District, she hadn't yet gone to school there. And now, that was about to change.

The girl sat cross-legged on the floor, watching the television, where a rerun of the 121st Games was playing. It had just ended, the so-called Rule of Three bringing District Two yet another Victor. Daria was sure that the streak would end, but it didn't. Amazingly, Pluto Nicastro had made it home.

There was buzz that he was going to University in Three, and Daria couldn't help but wish that someday, she could make it there too. She was quite bright, and wanted to aim high, even though she was already quite fortunate. She respected what her parents did, but… No, she couldn't follow their footsteps. She couldn't take it.

Daria watched as the girl from 2 killed both One tributes in the night, and sheathed her sword again before going to wake Pluto. Her District partner sure gave her a surprise, as he sat straight up and shot an arrow clean through her head. She was clearly peaceful. He had his own agenda. Daria watched the scene, her heart pounding just as it had when it was happening before her live, not sure who she was rooting for in the fight but hoping that only one Career would survive. It added to the drama of it all.

Daria loved the Games, she had ever since she was just a little girl. She loved to watch the drama of it all. She wanted to watch every Games ever someday, from 1 all the way up until she was rocking in the nursing home, telling her young ones how the Games used to be back in those golden days, and kicked the bucket. Some were replayed a lot, especially as the reaping approached. The Capitol tried to spark the Districts by showing replays of the 118th Games, showcasing District 12's most recent Victor Allegra Pakulski, and the 109th Games, which showcased Chervil Van Laren, District 11's.

Daria wished her parents could have been stationed in 7, where Helen Bethel was, or 6, which held Gian Mariani, or, of course, District 2. Even somewhere like District 10 would have been fine, as she was quite a fan of Arthur Warwick, the underdog in an Arena with some nasty Careers. But no, she ended up here. There were only two living Victors, and neither of them were exactly approachable. Skeeter Hofstader was an alcoholic bum, her parents hadn't sidestepped that point at all, and Chervil Van Laren was just unpleasant, even if he was obedient and polite.

Daria quickly shifted her thoughts. She didn't like to be so negative. After all, it was her parents' work in District 11 that had made them so wealthy in the first place. She just felt lucky that her parents loved her enough to keep her with them. She could have stayed back in the Capitol, but she wanted to be with her parents. She loved them so much and couldn't imagine being without them. She didn't have a risk of being reaped, after all, she was a Capitolite! President Blossius promised that they would live comfortably, and so would she.

President Blossius was a good man. Daria's parents only said good things about Panem's reigning President. His policies were all good decisions, and her parents supported pretty much every decision he made. They only talked fondly about his policies: especially the end of the ban on Peacekeepers having families and relations that had been on for so long. Why, it was that very law that had brought them together, and without it, Daria wouldn't have existed!

They also praised his policies regarding the treatment of Victors, his unwillingness to threaten families unless totally necessary, and, his decision to stop forcing Victors into prostitution.

The things they overheard as his personal bodyguards all those years. And the things that Daria had overheard them talking about. She knew that a prostitute was someone that had sex with people for money, but she still didn't know all of the mechanics of sex. She learned about it at school, and gleaned all the information she could, but the curricula weren't exactly descriptive.

Daria hadn't received much personal love from her parents, as being in the force kind of took that away from them. Sometimes, they just seemed so hollow to Daria, unable to truly love after being hardened like a rock, but they were still very kind and caring to Daria so she tried not to think about it. Again with that negativity. She continued thinking about the Games.

Now, all the Victors had Capitol quota, so they could spend time in the Capitol how they wanted. A lot of them got jobs. Vesperus Floridius had taken work as a nurse. Arthur Warwick had a cooking show that always made Daria hungry. Michael worked as a model, and was on the covers of magazines. Helen assisted teachers in schools and volunteered at the Humane Society. All of the Victors gave back, just thinking about it made Daria's heart swell with pride. Man, she loved the Games.

Daria smiled at her screen, the Victors she idolized, the Games. She wondered if she would become friends with District 11's next Victor in school. She'd be sure to greet as many people as possible, hoping that one of them might be reaped and come home successful. She knew what the Victors' celebrations were like in the Capitol, and she couldn't help but be curious about what they were like in the Districts. Especially in a District that hadn't had a Victor in so long. She hoped that she could experience it someday before she went to University. She so badly wanted to be a Victor's best friend.

"Daria!" she heard the voice of her mother, warm but not loving, call out to her, and realized that she was going to be late to school if she didn't stop daydreaming! She quickly got up and checked herself one last time in the mirror. It was the last time she was going to be able to adjust her appearance before people saw her.

What she saw in the mirror was not quite what she wanted to be: she wanted to alter her appearance more but her parents had barred her from doing so: but it wasn't that bad. In front of her was a twelve-year-old of average height and average weight exactly, with wavy locks of red hair that, after going back and forth for almost ten minutes, she had put up in a high ponytail for the special occasion. Her skin was unblemished, tanner than it would have been without some special cosmetic help, and her eyes were shining, sparkling blue.

She studied her reflection, nitpicking every detail. She wondered if the braid would give her a more approachable look, and if it possibly went better with the floral-patterned shirt and jean shorts she was wearing. Yes, the high ponytail gave her a kind of flirty look, where the braid was more sophisticated. No detail could go unnoticed. She made sure any stragglers were sprayed until they wouldn't stick up, and that her jeans weren't riding up on her legs.

She looked at her appearance critically, scouring every detail. She was just making sure she had no eyelashes threatening to fall out into her eye when her mother called again, sounding more agitated this time. "You're going to be late!"

Daria jumped, quickly scurrying out to the clean kitchen. She knew that her parents would be mad if she was late. After all, she is the daughter of two of the most authoritarian and disciplined Peacekeepers in the force, she couldn't be late!

Her mother was waiting for her, holding her Clear Roberts lunchbox, already packed and ready for her to take.

"Where's Dad?" she asked.

"He has an important meeting. We've finally found some cooperators that might be able to give us names. Or at least an important lead. We're going to get that lousy, rebellious Mayor Dregs out of office and the rest of the cause will die out from there." Even though it was Blossius's policy of elected mayors that had brought the problem to life, neither of Daria's parents ever said anything about that. Daria wondered if they'd figured that out. Sometimes they acted like he was in the room, or watching them somehow.

"Oh!" Daria knew that meant she would have to make her Victor friend before her parents cleared the District of the rebel threat and moved back home to the Capitol. It was seeming as if that day would be coming up. "I should let you get there then! Thanks for staying with me Mom!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to escort you?" Daria's mother asked. Daria loved her Mom, but the idea was disgusting to her. She didn't want the first impression she left to be that baby that needed Mommy!

"Yes, I'm sure! Bye Mom!" Daria kissed her mother's cheek and hurried quickly to the schoolhouse. She'd practiced getting there over the summer, and held her head up. She had to be sure she was making the perfect first impression, exactly how she wanted to. She pulled her backpack over her shoulders and entered the small, dusty old building.

There were… Not a lot of people. Daria expected it to be like her Capitol school, which was bustling with kids. This school was so tiny. There were a few people with pale complexion, but not as many as Daria thought there would be. She saw a girl with a head of textured brown hair, and tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me, but do you know where the lockers are?"

The girl stared at her for a while, her gorgeous, chocolate-colored eyes looking expectant, as if Daria was making a joke. "Have you ever been to real school? There ain't no lockers."

Daria tried to stay open, but the use of not only slang but also a double negative!? It was enough to make her doubt the education system.

"No lockers? But where am I supposed to put all my notebooks? My backpack's going to get heavy when it gets filled with textbooks!" Daria wasn't sure she could handle it. Besides, she didn't want muscles from carrying a heavy backpack.

The other girl gave her a weird look.

"What's your name? And how old are you?" Daria asked, hoping to make a friend out of this girl. She wasn't bad looking, she could easily get sponsors in the Games, if she ever had to go.

There was a slight pause. "Blossom. Blossom Dregs. I'm twelve."

Daria recognized that name. It was that no good, dirty mayor! She decided to keep an open mind, though, knowing that children weren't always like their parents. "Oh, I'm twelve too! It's so nice to meet you, Blossom! I'm Daria Junius! I'm 12. It's so nice to meet you!"

"Junius…" she looked confused before a light turned on in her eyes. "Ey! You're those Peacekeepers' daughter, ain't ya!?"

"Yes, that's right!" Daria said, "Cornelius and Jana Junius are my parents!" She was proud of them. They were going to cleanse this District just as they'd done all the way back before Daria was born.

Blossom just sneered at her. "Spoiled rotten Capitolite," she growled. "Asking where the dang lockers are." She turned around and walked away, obviously disgusted. Daria felt hurt, and followed her to the 12 Class.

Once there, Blossom sat with an already-established group of friends, whispering to them and gesturing at Daria. They all made faces like they'd eaten something sour. Daria sunk into a seat away from everyone else, getting out her notebook with peaches on it, and her matching pencil and peach-shaped eraser. Everyone kept looking at her like she was an animal at the zoo or some kind of alien. Even when she smiled at people, waved at them, invited them to come over, nobody dared go near her. Her teacher acted more like he was afraid of her than actually wanting to treat her.

For the first time, Daria Junius was an outlier. A freak.

 _Joke's on them_ , she thought to herself happily. _I'm the only student in this room that will never have to worry about being reaped._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Yay, got another one done! I feel like I kind of struggled with flow in this chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it, anyways! Also, one third of the way done with introductions, yay! I need to figure out how I'm going to work in the escorts though. I'll probably either do a short POV of each escort for reaping recaps, or put them all in Lux's POV, still not sure yet. Or maybe someone like Piccolo…**_

 _ **Anyways, here are our 11 tributes! They're both kind of young in their segments, but neither of them have very drastic changes in personality so what you see there is pretty much what you get, give or take a bit more intelligent/well-adjusted/mature. And there was some stuff for both of them that I didn't get to put in this chapter, but you'll get to see it later :) Hope I did well with them.  
**_

 _ **Also, another thought, if there are other tributes you see that you want to see interact with your tribute later down the road, be thinking about it, and don't be afraid to mention it somewhere. True, that won't come into play until later, I just like to make connections between tributes. Besides Dania and Daria. Of all names… Never mind. They were both too lovely to not take.**_

 _ **Yeah, so, still haven't worked on the blog because I'm a shit. I'll get to it though, I promise.**_

 _ **So, I appreciate all the reviews so far (broke 100 before reapings are even over, woo! :D) and love all of your input, I really do take it to heart and try to deliver what you guys suggest! Thanks for the support, it really helps me to crank out these updates!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same. What'd you think of the tributes? Who'd you like better? If applicable, how'd I do with your tribute?**_

 _ **Alright, see you all in District 3!**_


	10. District 3: Rats

-Becquerel Pierre, 17, District 3-

 _Two Years, Seven Months before the reaping_

The hospital was just plain sad.

Maybe it was the mood Bec was in, or maybe it was the place itself, dim and dreary, but it was just plain sad. Bec had never been so far from home before, either. Usually when things went wrong, he and his friends would just go to the local nurse, who would give some remedies and send them home, already feeling better, without charging them a cent. This was different. This was so different. How were any of them going to pay these bills?

Bec had been put in a room with a stranger, in a different ward than the others.

He hadn't had to be put under for surgery, luckily, but he was still worse for wear. His entire body was covered with scratches and bruises and injuries. His middle two fingers were bound in a cast. He just felt lucky he got off so easily.

Bec stared at the ceiling a while. He hadn't slept at all the previous night: he was wildly unsuccessful when he tried, so around 2:30 he just gave up.

He just stared blankly at the ceiling, making stories in his head, going through tomorrow's objectives, planning out his homework and other tasks, thinking about everything except for what had happened the previous day.

Around 5:45, he heard talking from the other side of the curtain. He tried not to listen, but soon found that he couldn't help it. He needed something to get his mind off of the horrors he'd witnessed.

"I missed you," a younger voice said, followed by a quick "Sh…" from an older-sounding voice. Neither of the boys could have been older than reaping age.

"Sh, Henryk, you have a roommate now. You can't be too loud."

Bec considered saying something but decided against it. He was usually a beacon of hope and light, but right now he just couldn't manage to be that person. Sure, he could heal, granted the others were alright, but for the moment he couldn't say anything joyful. He kept his mouth shut.

"Sorry," the younger voice, Henryk, whispered.

"Listen, it'll be okay, alright? All I have to do is survive my last reaping, and then I'm going to go to University and study plant genetics and I'll get a really good job in science, okay? Then we'll pay everything off, okay?"

"You'll be gone…"

"No no, I'll be closer. I'll still come, okay? Your big brother's got this, alright?"

Bec wondered how Erwin was doing. He hadn't been there when it happened, but Bec knew he would feel guilty for that. Bec was sure Erwin wanted to visit, but going to the main District was already so expensive, and they had enough debt already climbing.

"Okay," Henryk said, before there was some silence. "Phil?"

"Yeah bud?"

"Can you sing me Piano Man?" his voice was tiny and quiet, fighting off tears.

Bec heard a laugh from the older boy, but it sounded sad more than anything. "Maybe later. I don't want to wake your roommate. Someday you'll get out of here and I'll play it for you on a real piano, okay buddy?"

"Yeah, alright." He sounded sad.

The older voice started to hum, ever so quietly. Bec wished he had a low voice like Phil's, which was steady and quiet and calming. Bec didn't know the song, but he enjoyed hearing it anyways. He closed his eyes and drifted into a dark, dreamless sleep.

.

The curtain was still up when Bec woke up, but the room was silent. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up slowly and realizing this might be his only chance to see them. He didn't care if he wasn't allowed, he had to see them. He shivered when his feet hit the cold, smooth, tile ground. Clothed in a robe so thin it was practically paper, it was hard to coax himself out of his warm bed. And, worse, when the covers were off, he couldn't pretend he didn't have breasts. He walked slowly, cautiously, hiding when someone came walking by. He had to play it cool.

He kept going, until he ran into a nurse, who gave him a look.

 _Shit_ , Bec thought, but he kept his posture confident and tall. He could talk his way out of this yet. And if not, what were they going to do? Flog him?

"Excuse me," Bec said smoothly, and attempted to keep walking when she called after him.

"Excuse _me_. Where do you think you're going?"

Bec sighed and turned back around, keeping an easy smile on. "My bathroom's flooded," he said. "I was just looking for the nearest one I could use. But, as you can see I'm a patient, and the public restrooms are probably full of germs. I was just going to go use the one in an empty room." He gave her a confident smile. If he felt like he was telling the truth, it would come across as the truth.

"I recognize you," she said, and Bec cursed his hair. It was so easy to pick him out of a crowd because of it. He loved the ginger color of it, seemingly bright red against many of the other District civilians, but at times like this he wished it were just slightly easier to blend in. "This is an awful long way to wander just to find a bathroom, is it not?" she saw right through him. Bec cursed inside his head again and decided to take a different approach.

He sighed and put his head down, staring at his feet. "You're right, ma'am," he said quietly. "It's a lie. My bathroom isn't even flooded."

"That's what I thought, let's get you back to where you belong now."

"Wait!" he said. His eyes filled with tears and he looked up at her, making sure she saw. He squeaked a little bit as they started to roll down his cheeks. "Please, ma'am. My friends and I were attacked by rabid people completely out of the blue… They were unprovoked… They did this to me and they hurt my friends. There are bills to pay and we'll have to take more tesserae to eat. I don't care about that, though. I just want to see my friends. I want to know if they're okay." He let out a sob, letting the tears flow freely. "Please ma'am." he sobbed a little bit. "Please let me see my friends. I'm aching for my home, none of my family can afford to visit. I'm really worried about them. Please let me see them. Please ma'am. I promise I won't ever bother you again if you just let me see them."

He let more tears come out of his eyes for good measure, glancing up at her with glassy green eyes. Nobody had been able to resist them before, and he was pulling them out in the big league. The woman pursed her lips, before her brown eyes softened and she strode over to him.

"Don't cry, it's alright. I'm sure they won't mind if you just stop in for a little while." Bec knew that he struck gold with this woman, as she took him to the system to get the room number of Ariadne and Jace, who were staying in the same room after both of them required surgery. She even escorted Bec to the room and protected him by being sent back by some of the other doctors they passed.

"Thank you so much Ma'am," he said quietly, slipping into the room and closing the door before she could follow. He wanted to see his friends and spend as much damn time as he wanted with them. She wasn't going to keep him here "for a little while" if he wanted to stay for a long while.

The temporary feeling of victory at getting there was replaced by more tears, much realer tears, as he caught a glimpse of his friends. Both were so still. So pale. Almost dead-looking.

"Bec!" Rose crossed the room and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. Bec didn't care if it hurt, he needed her. Rose, the best fighter out of them all, had also coincidentally gotten off with the least injury. She was taken to the hospital with the rest of them, but was released with a couple of band-aids within an hour. She stayed to be with the others, and Bec didn't realize how much he needed to see her until she was there.

"Hey," he mumbled into her neck as she let go.

"How'd you get here?" she asked. Bec figured he must have looked worse off than he felt, and just shrugged.

"I have my ways."

She glanced back at the other two, any joy she may have had at seeing Bec gone immediately. "Neither of them's moved since I got here.

Bec swallowed a lump in his throat and glanced down at Ariadne, who was lying on the bed closest to him. Her chest went weakly up and down, but very shallowly, as if a bigger breath would cause pain.

It had gone too far. It had gone much, _much_ too far.

He couldn't believe that just yesterday at this time, they had been walking together, laughing and chattering away. And now they were here. Miles away from home, in the main District, in this place. It was unfathomable. Yesterday, he had shoved her playfully as they walked. Today, he was seriously afraid she wouldn't open her eyes.

"Did they tell you what it was?" Bec asked Rose quietly. He knew that, of all of them, Rose was easily the strongest both physically and emotionally. She'd been hardened from her upbringing, forced to work in the plant at a young age. By now, all knowledge of reading and writing had been replaced with fighting tactics and the best ways to read people, which she had passed onto Bec.

"Broken ribs," Rose said quietly, causing Bec to visibly cringe. "I think a broken arm, too."

Bec lightly ran a finger through Ariadne's long, blonde locks. They really didn't deserve this. Just because they were different from everyone else, they were dragged through hell. Bec hated it. He hated those Peacekeepers' kids that did this to them. He was going to get his revenge.

"What about Jace?" he asked, peering over at the youngest of the group at 13.

Rose let out a small sob, something Bec had never seen her do before. She buried her face in her hands, mumbling apologies, and Bec stood there, stunned at seeing her like this. It was truly pitiful. He felt angry, and bitter, and hurt, and betrayed, and concerned, anxious, nervous, upset.

"Rose?" he asked, anxious to hear her answer.

"Blind," she said softly.

"Huh?"

"They said he wouldn't be able to see. Ever. _Again_." Her voice shook with anger and resentment, pain and hurt, and overwhelming misery.

Bec looked at Jace's face, covered in cuts and scratches, especially right by his eyes. He felt like he wanted to vomit. He wanted to run away and hide forever and never come out. He wanted to personally find Morrison, Jacinth, and Tanith, and break their ribs and blind them. He shook with anger, with sobs, and sadness and pain and misery. He turned around stiffly, clenching his fist.

"They'll pay for this," he said, voice shaking.

"Bec-"

"We're going to _ruin_ them." Bec didn't feel sorry. He wanted to see them suffer for what they did. To think that Jace will never see again because of what they did. That Ariadne was put on death's doorstep.

It was unfathomable to Bec that they were even here right now. He never even dreamt of being there, in that dreary hospital, worrying about how they were going to pay the bills and if they were going to even survive, dammit!

He wanted to make them all pay for what they've done. In the most extreme way a couple of District kids could get revenge on the children of Capitolites. He quivered with tears, squaring his shoulders and hardening his face. He couldn't cry in front of Rose right now.

"Just you wait," Bec said, his voice as fiery as his hair.

"Bec…" Rose murmured, but at seeing the fire burning in his eyes, she hardened immediately, knowing that he wasn't going to stop until they never went near Bec or his friends again. An angry tear rolled down Bec's face and dropped on the floor as he thought about the events of the day previous and relived them before his eyes.

"We'll make them pay for their sins."

* * *

-Kaelys Deinard, 18, District 3-

 _Seven Months before the reaping_

It was just another stupid day.

Another stupid day of waking up and hearing the little ones running around, with no knowledge of how to be quiet. The pitter patter of their little feet on the wooden floor always woke Kaelys up, even though she was surely used to it. She couldn't remember a time where she'd ever felt so lively as to jump and run and dance around like the little ones, though. It just wasn't a very Kaelys Deinard thing to do, she supposed.

She got up and rubbed her eyes, yawning. It was another stupid day alright. Not a stupid reaping day or any of that shit, just another day. Another day of life. Another day to coast through.

She got up, not bothering to turn the light on, and threw on the first articles of clothing her hands brushed. She couldn't give a damn about how she looked, to be quite frank. It was like Kaelys to be frank. She wasn't one to hide. She didn't believe in it.

She ran a comb through her wavy brown hair, but only until she got bored of doing it. Honestly, if it wasn't the healthy thing to do, she probably wouldn't have taken the time to do it at all.

She yawned again and went into the community bathroom, and was shocked to find it empty. Usually there were other girls and little ones all over the place, trying to get a look in the Community Home's only mirror, or get to the tiny little sink with the rusty spicket to rinse out their mouths or smooth down their hair or whatever else they used it for, Kaelys didn't pay too much attention.

Today, though, it was silent. That was strange. That was more than strange. Kaelys wondered if someone had kidnapped all the other orphans or something. She just shrugged it off, not worrying herself with the feeling of concern for a group of people for which she had no love.

They didn't really have love for her either, of course. Sure, they valued her, the money she put in and the work she did, but did they love her? No. Nobody loved Kaelys. Her parents hadn't even loved her enough to give her a goddamn chance.

Kaelys splashed some water on her face to wake herself up, and rinsed out her mouth. It was routine. Even though the bathroom was quiet for whatever reason, it was routine. It was more efficient that Kaelys didn't have five, six, as many as ten kids at once trying to use the sink, all while little five-year-old Windsor wailed that he had to go peepee and for everyone to please get out.

After that, she went out to the kitchen, where she would have breakfast, sometimes even help make it. The halls were eerily silent. Kaelys was seriously curious. _What happened?_ Was it reaping day and she just forgot? She had no idea.

When she entered the kitchen, it was dark. That almost never happened. She tried the switch, wondering if the Capitol cut power to Three for whatever reason. The small light buzzed to life, and everyone who lived in the Community Home, including their caretaker, was crowded on the other side of the room.

"Surprise!" they all said at once.

They were right. Kaelys was definitely surprised. She clutched her chest, her heart beating hard. What had they done? Why did they think this was funny?! Sure, the older kids thought that popping out at the younger kids and shouting "Boo!" was funny, but Miss Klein always yelled at them for that. What the hell were they doing then?! They had all ganged up against her. Kaelys was immediately ready to fight, her face turning into a scowl as she balled her fists. What the hell were they doing!?

"So sorry for scaring you, Dear!" Miss Klein said. She called them all her Dear. Probably out of pity that they all ended up here. "We really didn't mean to!"

"What is this?!" Kaelys was mad, and wasn't afraid to convey it, even if it caused some of the younger ones to hide, their joy sucked away. Most of them hadn't really talked to Kaelys and were afraid of her, cowering.

"Kaelys," one of the older orphans, Eliza, stepped forward. "Please don't be mad. We were just trying to give you a birthday party!"

The tension in Kaelys's shoulders only relaxed a little bit as she looked between them all. "A what?"

"A birthday party!" Spencer stepped forward, her ponytail bouncing slightly. "Miss Klein said you'd never had one before!"

"How do you know my birthday?" she asked. She knew nothing about her past life and thought that Miss Klein had been honest in everything that she knew.

"I don't, Kaelys. I told you all I know. But the anniversary of the day you were brought here is in a couple of weeks, so I can assume your birthday is somewhere around today."

Kaelys relaxed. She tried to see the best in people, so she believed her foster parent. "Oh." Kaelys had always figured that since they didn't know when her birthday was, she might as well just not had one at all. Year after year went by without anything except for the silent knowledge that Kaelys was a year older than she was. This was… Kaelys had no words for it. A lot of hassle, mostly. "Alright then, let's celebrate my parents giving me away," she said, voice oozing with bitterness. She had absolutely no tact, which the others knew.

"Or we could celebrate the day that you entered the world," Miss Klein said, her voice full of gentleness and pity.

Kaelys sighed, knowing she couldn't get out of it. "Sure." Celebrate the day that Kaelys entered the world. _More like, celebrate the day that you received a hardworking leader that would try everything to haul all of you out of poverty,_ she thought. They may have valued her, but nobody would ever love Kaelys. Not even her own parents.

The orphans sat around the kitchen table, Kaelys still pouting, and chattered just as jovially as if they were celebrating the Winter Festival.

"In honor of the celebration, we've been saving all the way back since last year for this beauty!" Miss Klein placed a small, round, pink object on a plate on the table, causing the kids to bang their silverware on their plates excitedly. As wonderful as it looked, Kaelys was still slightly pouty.

 _This whole birthday thing sucks,_ she thought, stuffing her fork in her mouth and enjoying the sweetness that exploded across her taste buds. _But at least there's cake._

.

"So they all hid and just screamed out absolutely nowhere? Rough, man, really rough," Liah said sympathetically. Kaelys knew that Liah would understand. The girls had stayed together out of necessity all these years. She lit a cigarette and inhaled, trying to let go of her troubles, even if only a little bit. She knew that Miss Klein would kill her if she saw this, but Kaelys liked being bad. It was the closest she got to feeling alive these days.

"I'm still stuck on the cake, to be honest," Flint said. "Was it good? Was it like the ones in the window of the big bakery in the town?"

"The University kids always go there," Haley added. "They're so easy to pickpocket. Although you can't judge a book by its cover. One time I went after this guy that looked like a fucking nerd- turns out he was strong as fuck. Career-level strong. Wow did I have to talk my way out of that one."

Kaelys didn't want to hear her close calls. They just made her nervous. If Haley wasn't stealing for them, they'd be down much-needed food, water, and a meeting place.

"Be careful," she said.

"I know," the redhead sighed.

Kaelys knew all about judging a book, though. She had so often been that book. Sometimes she hated her sweet little face and her deep brown eyes, but most of the time she could use it to get away with whatever the hell she wanted. Surely a girl with such rosy cheeks as hers wouldn't dream of infiltrating the black market, right? Wrong.

"The cake was good," Kaelys said. "It was pink. It wasn't nearly as pretty as the ones in the window, though, they probably just bought the cheapest one and said it was "for the orphans" to get a discount."

"Well, they weren't lying, were they?" Flint asked, and others laughed a bit.

"Better than us," Liah added, causing some more laughter. Kaelys liked the feeling of belonging she had from being with her friends.

"I remember when I was a kid and my Dad commissioned the baker to make me a cake for my seventh birthday," Lucas said dreamily. He was very familiar with the taste of cake, having been the son of a Peacekeeper.

"Why would you leave that kind of life?" Haley asked. Kaelys looked up, wondering why she cared or wanted to know.

Lucas didn't seem too fazed, though. "I didn't like my Dad's rules. Never have. I had some friends with some of the other richer Peacekeeper kids, but they fucked themselves over big time by getting into a scuffle with a group of rats like us."

"Yeah? Who?"

"You wouldn't know 'em. It was on Southside. They would have been fine if they hadn't blinded that kid." None of them cringed at the thought of such a thing. It was life.

"What happened to them?" Flint asked.

"They got busted. Hard. The rats totally twisted the story and got them all sent back to the Capitol to be… Oh, what was the word they used… _Re-educated_."

"Huh."

"The ringleader even got Avoxed."

"No way, I call your bluff," Hayley said.

"True story. That was giving my Dad ideas about what to do with me, so I got the fuck out of there before I was stuck cleaning mahogany tables and shelves of breakable collectibles for the rest of my life."

"Where's Emil?" she asked, noticing the group to be one man down. "Weren't we going to unleash our plan today?" Kaelys liked to stay on business. It was how she emerged as the leader. Just like the orphans needed her to work and make money, her friends valued her leadership. They didn't love each other, Kaelys wasn't vain enough to think they would, but they needed her so they kept her around. She was satisfied with that, because she needed them too. She'd go nuts without them.

"Yeah, where _is_ Emil?" Liah looked around, her brow creasing. "Rat bastard. We're doing this for _him_." Emil was a notorious drug dealer, a dangerous industry that required a lot of risk and balls of steel. He was the toughest of the group, and had taught Kaelys everything she knew about fighting. However, planning to infiltrate the market of Brennan Scutter, the most well-known dealer in the area, while shooting him and his cronies dead and stealing their money and stock, was a task that was best completed when the groups were even in number.

Kaelys liked it better when she got to fight hand-to hand, just so she could knock the big guys out without staining their coats with blood. She liked to take the big guys' thick cargo coats, they were warm and heavy-duty, meant for late nights out on the job, but the served their purpose for Kaelys.

Sometimes, people looked at the cute girl in the big coat and asked, _"Aw, is that your boyfriend's?"_ but that question made her laugh inside, because there were multiple things wrong about it.

"Damn him, he promised he wouldn't be late," Hayley sighed.

"Two questions," Lucas said, putting up to fingers. "One, since _when_ has Emil ever actually been on time? And, number two, which I think is a more important question. Since when did we care about being on time?" Lucas asked, eyebrows raised. He could be such a pretentious rich boy sometimes, even after being stripped of everything and on the run for three years.

"I guess," Hayley sighed.

Kaelys spoke next, brushing her hair behind her back. "I agree, though, sometimes I wonder how long before we should assume he's dead and go into mourning." It was the truth, but sounded so much like a joke that everyone laughed, including the speaker.

Emil appeared just then, lugging a body towards them, just the man they were going to ravage together. None of the friends cringed at the sight of their friend carrying a bleeding body, and Kaelys knew the next words that were going to come out of his mouth, as all the friends stood up to focus on the new task at hand.

"Change of plans," Emil panted, wiping some blood off a wound on his forehead. "I need help hiding a body."

"Say no more," Kaelys said, before launching into a plan.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Another District of intros done! Yay! I hope you liked these two, they're a joy to write!**_

 _ **So, some updates! First off, I added mentors and escorts to the blog for this story! I sprinkled in headcanons galore, so I hope you read some (at least for your submitted escorts/your tribute's District) and let me know what you think! I do plan on putting the tributes on there, but instead of image links I'm finding aesthetic pictures because I like it better so it'll probably take a while. We'll see.**_

 _ **Also, another thing: there's a poll on my profile as to how you want to see me write the reapings/reaping recaps! So please go vote on that, I want to hear what you think! After the intros (someday :P), I'll be putting up a poll as to which District(s) you want to see for train rides, because I want to write all of them but I can't do ALL of them. So keep that in mind as well as we meet some of the tributes!**_

 _ **Also, this is a meme thing, but there are two Upward Voyager mentions in this chapter, ahahaha :D Whoever can find them both gets… A cookie. An online cookie. Haha. That's mostly just to amuse myself. I should put their bios up on the blog, haha.**_

 _ **So, big thank you to Little Knight Mik and LokiThisIsMadness for Bec and Kaelys respectively, I hope you liked how I portrayed both of them!**_

 _ **Thanks for all the support so far! Can't wait for more!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same. What'd you think of them? Who'd you like better? How'd I do (if applicable)?**_

 _ **I will see you all in District 10!**_


	11. District 10: Warriors

-Miya Bellion, 18, District 10-

 _Ten Months before the reaping_

"Are you sure about this?" Liam wasn't exactly sure where his girlfriend was taking him.

"Just trust me!" Miya said, continuing to pull him through the tall grass. The boy just kept following her. He lived had never been so far from the main District before, where he lived and worked. Liam was extremely intelligent and did finances for the Mayor's office. He earned a pretty big scholarship for University out of school, but the fees were still far too much for him to handle. He was working for the mayor and making fairly good money, so he had a pretty solid future.

Of course, that barely mattered to Miya. She loved him for so many reasons, that was honestly just like an added bonus. Now, though, she was going to show him her treasure. She'd told him a little about it, but not very much, considering it wasn't… Legal. Technically.

She kept going, intertwining her fingers with his, causing him to smile.

Miya and Liam met through Miya's sister, Marlene. Marlene was a coworker of Liam's, and was more than happy to set them up on a date. Miya was sad she couldn't see them as often as she would've wanted, just with the distance and the sheer workload of the other two. However, it was times like these that were really worth it.

Miya managed just fine with the distance. She was always more independent anyways, and being half an hour's walk away from each other was less suffocating than constantly seeing each other. Miya loved her boyfriend, but she wasn't sure if she'd like to spend every second of her life with him. Sometimes she needed some space, some alone time to recharge. Who wouldn't?

"We're not going to get into trouble, are we?" Liam asked. He was slightly nervous about his job being at risk if they were caught.

"Illegal wasn't the right word. Look, we're not in any kind of danger, alright? I promise. It's slightly violent, but not dangerous."

"Alright…" he still seemed slightly unsure. Miya's last sentence certainly didn't do anything to quell his nerves. He was slightly hesitant but trusted that his girlfriend wouldn't jeopardize this for him, so eventually he kept pace with her. Miya knew what she was doing. The others would be surprised to see a newbie, but she'd tell them to go easy on him. By the time they were ready to leave, there'd be no trace of evidence that they were even there in the first place. Nobody would be able to prove anything.

Confidently, she kept on walking until the old place came into view.

"Welcome to Ruckrage Farms," she said, looking in awe at the building like it was a second home, which, to her, it was.

"Wow," Liam said quietly, staring at the old, dilapidated barn.

"This is where all the magic happens," she said.

"Illegal magic?"

"Well…" Miya sighed. "Technically, yes, illegal magic." She shook her head a bit as she pulled him inside.

She knew that Liam was probably expecting some kind of secret operation or black market, but that wasn't what he saw at all. Instead, he saw mats out on the floor, on which sat a group of about twenty kids, the oldest of them at eighteen, the youngest at ten. All of them were looking up at Miya's nineteen-year-old step-brother Oliver, who was showing them the proper grip when using a sword. He looked up when Miya came in, looking surprised to see both Miya and her companion.

"Sorry, I thought I'd catch you during an open gym," she said, hurrying to take a seat next to the others and dragging Liam with her.

 _If you'd call this place a gym_ , she thought. It really wasn't much. A couple of hay-filled tarps representing mats, a couple of sacks stuffed with more hay that looked almost slightly human if you squinted, and an assortment of weapons that were either old, carved out of wood, or pieces of metal from old branders and rakes bent in the attempt of trying to make a weapon. They were still hard to come across as training in the Districts was still technically illegal. That law had been basically forgotten, but technically had never been overruled, which is why no other Districts had the balls to try and train.

Miya thought that being afraid of that stupid law was pointless. She was pretty sure that if a group of Peacekeepers were to walk in right then, they'd want to get every kid's name to add to their list of tributes to bet on in the case that they're reaped. The Capitol loved the trained tributes, they upped the entertainment factor because they knew not only how to kill, but how to survive. The Games had become less of a vendetta against the Districts and more of an entertainment for the Capitol. Sick, sick entertainment that was still just as bad no matter what the motive, of course. Miya didn't mind that the other Districts weren't training, though, because that just meant less competition for Ten tributes, which was what really mattered to her.

Even though the selection of swords was severely limited and very low-quality, there were enough of them for everyone in attendance, Oliver had made sure of that, but hadn't been accounting for an extra guest.

"No problem, Mi, as long as you grab one of those and spar with me. Show these guys some things about sword-wielding."

Miya smiled. "Yeah, sure. Of course." She let go of Liam's hand, briefly kissing his temple as consolation for losing her touch. She took up one of the old, rusty swords. It had been donated towards the cause of an Academy by a nearby butcher before he died, and after landing in numerous different hands, it ended up here. Rumor was that it'd once been held by one of District 10's volunteers, but Miya didn't really believe it. She just liked the feel of the weapon, even if it was old.

"You could always sub in Pretty Boy over there," Oliver said, his voice light and teasing, "I'd show 'im exactly what I'd do to him if he laid a finger on you."

Miya rolled her eyes but smiled, knowing that Oliver meant no harm with his silly overprotective older brother games. Of all people, Oliver knows how easily Miya can defend herself, after all, and respects her for that. That's all she could have asked for from a step-brother.

"See Mi's grip?" Miya gave a side-glance and locked eyes with Ana, one of her biggest rivals.

Not that Miya wanted to volunteer for the Games, of course. She may have been training, but she was far too happy to just pitch it all out the window for absolutely no good reason. Her rivalry with Ana was more based on investing herself into training, which she was quite good at, and become stronger and stronger. It was like those people that were blessed with book-smarts like Marlene working hard to learn as much as possible and strengthen their brain. Just like that, in fact, except for instead of sitting and burying her nose in long, complicated books, Miya was here, coughing on dust and inhaling the humid smell of rotting and hay and sweat in the hot summer sun. And Ana was doing the same.

The thought of volunteering repulsed Miya. She honestly just didn't care about the fame, money, or honor of winning. She wanted to live happily, and right now that's what she was doing. She would survive the reaping and find work, maybe somewhere closer to the District so she and Liam could see each other more often, and go from there. The training was the "just in case," as it was for everyone in District 10. Oliver and some of the others who were older and survived through their last reaping, wanted to build up their District and give any tributes from 10 that might be reaped a fighting chance. This was a good way to start populating the Victor's Village. Miya felt secure that if she were to be reaped the next day, she could stand a good fighting chance against the other tributes.

Oliver finished his explanation while Miya was pondering these things, lost in her own thoughts, and lunged at her. They had covered the blades of the swords in cow skin to prevent them from actually hurting someone while the tributes were fighting. Sure, sometimes the sharp end sliced through and gave a cut, but it served its purpose just fine. Miya and Oliver sparred for a while, the others watching with great interest. Every once in a while, Oliver would stop the fight to mention something about someone's technique, or a weakness being exposed by Miya. There were probably some fancy-schmancy words to describe all this stuff, but nobody knew what they actually were, so the names that Oliver made up were good enough for them.

"See that move that Mi just did? I call that the hamhock cyclone." The younger kids giggled at that. Oliver's jokester attitude could even make training for the Hunger Games fun.

"It's my specialty," Miya joked back, causing Liam to laugh too. He was glad to have survived his last reaping, and optimistic that in less than a year, Miya would do the same and they could be together.

"Alright, everyone take a sword and practice grip and technique. I'll be around to help and answer any questions." The kids ran over to the pile of makeshift swords, while Oliver handed his, which had a real blade, to Ana, who he knew could use it without injury to herself or others.

"What'd you think?" Miya asked, wiping some sweat off of her forehead. She and Oliver hadn't been sparring particularly long, or very vigorously, but the humidity and heat of the summer was synonymous with sweat. The dust in the air mixed with the humidity made the air almost impossible to breathe.

Even though Ruckrage Farms was far from perfect, it was home. Miya was glad Oliver had brought her there when she was twelve to begin training. He had been given the opportunity to help pass on his knowledge once he was safe for good, and he'd been happy ever since.

Miya chattered to Liam happily as she held the sword out. She showed him some things about grip and stance before she finally let him hold the sword. He looked pretty tense, so Miya didn't make him do it for too long before taking it back.

"There! Now you know the basics!"

"I didn't think there would be so many kids here," Liam said, looking surprised.

"It's a growing business. Oliver has high hopes that if we get some more money we might be able to improve even more: get better weapons somehow, maybe get our hands on a book about technique, reach out to more kids." Miya nods towards a pale, scrawny boy with a mop of brown hair and dark brown eyes, trying to help a younger girl hold the sword. "Sayler and Willa live the farthest away from here, and they're about… Forty-five minutes."

"Those kids walk forty-five _minutes_ to get here? By themselves?" Liam asked, sounding shocked. The boy couldn't have been older than 14, and the girl appeared one of the youngest there.

"Every other day. This is the closest training facility to them, they have no other choice." Miya sighed. "That's why we- er, Oliver, I guess- wants to get some more money. Expand, recruit, somehow find a way to get as many kids as we can here learning the basics. The more of us that have skills, the better a chance District 10 will reap a Victor."

"Wow," Liam was truly amazed, and Miya beamed with pride.

"Ruckrage farms is my home. Training is when I feel alive. I get to be a warrior here, I have a purpose here, I'm good for something. That's all I ever wanted."

Liam smiled at the joy and excitement in his girlfriend's eyes at talking about it. He leaned in and kissed her temple.

"It looks like rain. I should start back before it begins. Shouldn't they?" he gave another glance to the pair of siblings.

"They'll be alright. Consider it a part of training."

He still seemed concerned, but kept it pushed down. "Right. Well, I want to get back before it starts. But… Thanks for showing me this. It's cool." He didn't care much about the training, he just loved to see Miya so excited and passionate about something she loved.

"Of course." She grinned. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before starting to walk out. He stopped in his tracks, and Miya was by his side before he could turn around.

"I'll go with you so you don't get lost," she teased, and he grinned at her.

"You know me so well." Together, the couple left the shabby little Training Center and headed back towards the main District.

* * *

-Attila of the Windy Plains, 18, District 10-

 _Reaping Day_

Roxanne Tilki was in the room when Attila entered. She was talking with Circe, together the women were reviewing a spiral-bound book.

Attila shuffled to a halt. It was instinct to stand and wait for Circe to talk. Some people may've called him a perfectly-trained show hound, but Attila saw himself more as a well-oiled machine. He knew what he had to do and did it quietly. That's how it had always been and how it would always be. He was raised to follow the rules, and very rarely thought about what he was doing because they were branded into his brain.

He stayed frozen as he watched Aelius, that elfish little grin on his face, step back, grinning.

"Hey, Attila, come here and look at what I just made!" he chirped, and Attila didn't think twice before approaching, as much as he couldn't stand the guy. Aelius was annoying as fuck, true, and Attila absolutely despised him. But, Attila was more apt to follow his gut than spend time mulling over something so simple and getting attacked, so he walked over to see what it could possibly be that Aelius was holding in his hands. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his ankles, and in a second and a half his feet were stolen off the ground.

He heard Aelius's laughter loud and clear as the blood started to rush to his head.

"See? My traps can hold guys as big and hulking as Attila, it can even get Careers! Many an outer District tribute's been able to win with traps, take Kendal Beck of the 84th Games for instance, or Bates Statham of the 115th Games, or-"

"Enough!" Attila's voice boomed, causing everyone to look towards him. He struggled, not thinking about how he looked or anything except getting free. "Release me!" at his command, Roxanne quickly cut the rope, causing Attila to hit the ground with a big thud.

As soon as he was back on his feet, he lunged for Aelius, grabbing the other boy by the neck. In that moment, it didn't matter what was right or wrong, it just mattered that this little bitch thought he could get the best of Attila, and that wasn't right. The taller, stronger boy squeezed the little elf's neck until his face turned blue and he heard Circe shout, "Release him!"

Attila heard the edge to her voice and knew better than to disobey, dropping Aelius from where he had threatened to lift the smarter boy off of the ground. He absolutely detested people like him. They had no idea that thinking would kill them. Thinking was nothing but a waste of time. Thinking, spending time working through problems, was dangerous. With thinking came doubt, and regret, and other negative emotions that would eventually fester themselves in you and eat away at your insides. Attila was protecting himself from this fate, of course. He regretted nothing he did, and didn't even think about the things that he didn't do.

"What happened?" He looked up at seeing his best friend Herakles enter the training center with a small group of other guys.

"Nothing," growled Attila, and the others knew better than to push him.

"Roxanne brought some new swords for us to try," Roxanne told them all, dispelling some of the tension.

"Where's your brother?" Herakles asked, as he and Attila both grabbed one of the new, shiny swords.

"Sleeping." Attila remembered when he was 15 and slept until 7 every day. As soon as he had turned 16, his father expected him to be up and moving by 5 each morning. He was a monster when Attila overslept, so he was sure to set five alarms each morning just in case. His body liked the routine of sleeping and waking up at the same time, though, and the consistent diet was helpful as well.

The boys each experimented with the weapons, getting used to the sleek feel of modern, lighter swords that were twice as effective, and therefore twice as lethal.

He looked up when Circe approached with Roxanne, who was watching the group at work. This was the first time Roxanne had stayed long enough to watch the trainees at work, and Attila wanted to impress her just as much as the rest of them. Who wouldn't want to impress a Victor?

"Here we have Herakles Bin, and with him Attila of the Windy Plains."

Roxanne gives the latter a strange look. "What, are you too cool for a last name?"

Attila sighed. He was sick of this question, and answering it so many times was really nothing but a waste of air. However, since he didn't want to leave a bad impression on Roxanne, his first instinct was to answer.

"My family's not used a surname for generations. I have roots back in the Capitol, where my ancestors chose to take the city of their residence as a last name, like warriors used to do way back when."

"How'd you end up in this dump if you're from the Capitol?" Roxanne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Investment. Lots of money to be made here. Couple 'f generations ago my family moved, and we've been satisfied here."

"But that puts you at risk for reapings," Roxanne said, stating the obvious. Attila grunted and twirled the sword around his finger idly. "Interesting. Which is why you're here."

"Best Training Center in the District. My parents have been pouring money into it to build it up, as security for the rich and worthy of the District."

"Well, it's certainly getting off the ground, isn't it?" Roxanne asked, glancing around. There were less than twenty trainees, all of the wealthiest people in the District. If there was one place that was going to give them a strong foundation for the Games, it was here. Sure, Attila had heard rumors of smaller, homemade training centers in the District, but next to this it was nothing. No country bumpkins would be able to replicate the best weapons in the District and the one lady in the dirty hellhole that really knew how to use them.

Circe was a menace, and she wasn't afraid to whoop her trainees into shape, which is why Attila respected her and followed her rules. Some of the others didn't like her as much and obeyed her more out of fear, but fear wasn't something Attila was used to. He preferred to run in without giving it another thought, and facing the consequences when they came. He never planned for anything, and never dwelt on the past. Attila didn't see the point of it. The present was now, and that was what mattered. That was the philosophy that had been drilled into his mind, and that was the mantra he lived by.

Roxanne commented some on the training center, but Attila was barely listening to her now. He decided she had nothing to say that was of importance to him. The ladies walked away and soon Attila's fifteen-year-old brother Marcius appeared. Like Attila, he had light brown skin, curly black hair, and dark eyes. Unlike Attila, though, Marcius was still a bit scrawny and had some baby fat left on his face, some light left in his eyes. Attila knew that their parents would close in on him eventually, but was glad that at least Marcius still had things to look forward to at this point. Who knew how much longer that would last?

The other difference was that Marcius's skin was totally clear, unlike his brother's. Attila liked to decorate his body with tattoos, his arms thoroughly inked. The tattoos accentuated his muscles and made him look even more towering and tough than he had before. He also had a large piece on his back, but that was usually covered by a shirt. The artist lived in the wealthier part of the District, and though his machines were low-tech compared to what must have been in the Capitol, they did just fine. Pasternak (Attila never cared enough to learn his real first name), was curt, but good at what he did. Somehow he was always able to come up with something Attila liked enough to say yes to on the first try. Attila didn't mind the pain, if anything it was a good thing. In return, he poured money into Pasternak's shop, and expanded his business. It was a win-win.

"Attila!" the eighteen-year-old looked up at hearing his brother's voice, which called to him again. "Hey!" he crossed the room, waving at Herakles, before he turned back to his brother. "How's it going? Woah, that weapon's so cool! Is it new?"

"Go get a sword," Attila said. He cared a lot for his brother, but Marcius would never learn what he needed to from training if he spent so much time dilly-dallying and making small-talk. Marcius glanced at the weapons nervously before going to get one. He wasn't as natural a trainer as a lot of the others, especially Attila, but tried his best. Their father would never be satisfied if he knew they spent any time canoodling around, and both of them knew it. Last time Attila and Marcius sparred Attila had lost all control and bruised his brother with the blunt practice weapons, so instead Attila just studied his technique and gave him pointers. If his brother were to be reaped, Attila wanted him to be ready for what was to come.

After a while, Marcius stopped to take a break (only after Attila promised he wouldn't tell their parents about it), and Attila looked around the room, bored and suddenly energetic.

He locked his eyes on Aelius, who was experimenting with the sword, and felt a tug in his gut. He followed the tug, lunging at the other boy quite suddenly. Attila's worst enemy gasped a bit as the sword made a gash across his forearm, surprised by the attack. He cried out in pain, but Attila didn't regret it. He kept his sword up, acting faster and more intentionally than Aelius, who still hadn't adjusted his grip on the sword.

"Break it up!" Circe called, and Attila dropped his weapon, letting the point graze the floor of the building his parents were renting for this. Aelius had multiple open gashes that were gushing blood, and looked pale, like he was going to pass out.

"Oh boy," Roxanne said, looking concerned, but Circe, who was tough as nails, just waved her hand in the air. "Gather round, everyone," she said. "Today we're going to learn how to give stitches."

.

"Why'd you do that?" Herakles asked, as he and Attila walked to the reaping together.

Attila just shrugged. "It felt right."

"I'm guessing you don't feel bad?"

"Of course not." Attila kept walking, and Herakles stayed in step with him. They didn't really understand each other, but they were both of pretty high standing so they stuck together. There were a couple of other guys they talked to, but both of them were expected to walk to the reaping with their entire families, and had to stay behind. Attila and Herakles trained until the very last second before going home to shower and change and meeting up again for the walk to the Square.

"He probably deserved it," Herakles sighed.

"He _definitely_ did," Attila growled, suddenly ice could, the thought of the embarrassment he'd felt that morning still front and center in his head.

Herakles just sighed and didn't say anything as they approached the tables to get their fingers pricked for the reaping. Together, they walked to the section for 18-year-old boys, where they stood and barely talked. Eventually, Robin and Týr appeared, talking about the slightly gruesome lesson they'd learned that morning.

"Think any of us're actually gonna need it?" Robin asked.

Attila grunted, but Herakles provided a real answer. "There's always the chance."

"Let's not worry about it," Týr tried. It was something they could all agree on at least. They stood in silence as the rest of the District filtered in and the reaping began.

They watched the video, displaying the Capitol warriors that fought against the District savages during the Dark Days, wondering if any of them could have shared his blood. It was the same as any other year, though, and soon the escort was picking the female tribute's name. Attila didn't care, so he didn't pay attention. He only started caring when Charlemagne walked over to the boy's bowl, reaching in to pick a name out. He didn't really notice the girl tribute, as she definitely had the look of a poorer person, but watched as Charlemagne read the name.

"Cross Chadwick!"

The boy stepped out of the section for seventeen-year-olds. Attila watched him walk to the stage, and he felt the tug in his gut. The tug to put to use all the skills he learned after being so training-oriented, the tug to avoid disappointing his parents, the tug to do great things and change everything.

Attila raised his hand in the air without giving it a second thought. There was no time, no need to doubt. He didn't regret what he did, it was his instinct, how he was raised, he was ready to single-handedly make District 10 into a Career District for his parents to be proud of him.

The boy named Cross kept a perfectly straight face, stepping up to the stage.

In a deep, booming voice, Attila proclaimed the words that District 10 hadn't heard in forty-one years.

" _I volunteer!"_

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Aha! Done with another update. Hope you like these two characters and I hope I did well with them. It was a challenge to make everything fit together but hopefully I was able to do so! I guess we'll see what you guys think! I promise that Attila's the only actual reaping I'll be writing, and even hat was kind of hard for me. I knew that his would've been the most interesting by far out of all of them so I decided to do it.**_

 _ **Thanks a bunch to misfit-right-in for Miya and GalacticCoach for Attila. I did change some things about him but I hope that made it flow better and fit into District 10!**_

 _ **So, the tributes, mentors, and escorts are all up on the blog now! I like using aesthetic pics much better than image links, mostly because I absolutely despise image links (because what do 15-year-oldds look like? Idk) and yeah, not pretty. I think I mentioned that last chapter but I wanted to make sure people knew.**_

 _ **Also, reminder that a poll is up on how I should do the reaping recap chapter(s). I'll close it when I post the next intro chapter, so vote now!**_

 _ **Also, we're officially halfway done with intros! Woo hoo! These definitely go faster than reapings, don't you agree? Maybe you don't. XD**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Thoughts on each? Who'd you like better and why? If applicable, how'd I do with your tribute?**_

 _ **Thanks for the reviews and support, you guys are all amazing! I will see all of you in District 4!**_


	12. District 4: Honor

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

 _Two Years, One Month before the reaping_

The Academy went silent when they saw who was in the doorway.

Nerio swallowed a lump in his throat as he stepped in, letting the doors shut behind him. Nobody was sure what to say at seeing the boy, tall and scrawny, standing in the doorway.

"Look who decided to come back," Nerio heard a voice sneer, someone in his section no doubt, as the older trainees went back to their training and the younger ones watched, more interested in the unfolding drama than proper weapon technique.

He was approached by Pamela, who looked happy to see him. Her ponytail, the same tawny color as her brother's, swayed behind her as she gave him an excited look. "Mom and Dad will be so pleased!"

"Yeah. I hope they will be." Nerio took a deep breath. He could feel eyes on him, knew that he was being judged by the other boys in his section. Some were fourteen, like Nerio, some were fifteen. They would all be fifteen before the next reaping. Nerio's birthday was just a week away, then he would be fifteen.

Nerio scowled and tore his eyes away from them. He tried to stay focused on Pamela, one of the apples of his eye. He ruffled her hair, revealing stragglers that weren't long enough to be put back. She crossed her arms indignantly, but the expression didn't take long to fade. "So, you're going to win your spot back?"

"I…" Nerio took a deep breath. He was determined, and he had never been one to give up. "Yes. I'm going to climb the ranks again and get to the number one spot. That's the only way I'm going to earn forgiveness."

There were so many things he should have done differently. He should have never left the Training Center. He was so stupid to leave, he should have known better, dammit! He shouldn't have been so vain and stupid. He had lost close to a full year of training because of it, and had ended up behind the other boys his age. He wished he could go back in time, grab his stupid shoulder and keep him from slamming that door.

He was just rash. He was mad that his parents were pushing him too hard, he was frustrated constantly having to defend his spot against other boys that were just as strong of him. He held that spot for a long time, but the pressure to keep holding it was too much for him. He vowed to stop training, slamming the door before he even thought of it. He might have gone back earlier, but he just had too much pride.

He never should've left. He hated himself for that and vowed to never be so stupid again. Everything was different and it was all because of that stupid day. He couldn't change it. He couldn't… He couldn't take back his words. He had to make things right, and the only way he saw to do that was to do exactly what would make his parents proud: win the Games.

"No need to be so nervous," Pamela said. Unlike her brother, she was a small girl, the smallest in her family. "I'm currently working on a monster knot those meanies can shove up their asses."

Nerio gaped a bit at his twelve-year-old sister using such choice vocabulary so… correctly. Even though he probably shouldn't have encouraged her, he couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks sis."

"Sure thing!" she gave him a winning smile. Her blue eyes glinted, something that Nerio could only imagine his father's doing. They had the exact same eyes, Pamela and their father Irvin. Irvin's so fucking distant and Games preachy that Nerio was sure the only way his eyes would glint would be when Nerio was standing up on the stage, victoriously receiving a bouquet and a plaque from the top trainees in the tens section. Maybe it looked like a rocky road, but Nerio wasn't used to things being handed to him. He glanced over to where the current top of his class was using a bow, hitting the outer rim of the target with an arrow. As if the boy knew Nerio was watching, he turned around and offered him a proud smirk.

"Go back to your knot-tying," he said, patting Pamela's shoulder.

"You're going to stay?"

Nerio took a deep breath. "Yes."

"Alright!" Pamela gave a smile. She went back to the twelves section, who were all sitting in a circle with District 4's most recent Victor Michael Spinnaker showing them how to make a knot. She may have missed a couple of steps, but it barely takes a minute for her to catch up. Nerio always forget how incredibly intelligent his sister is. He hoped that maybe she'd take the same path as his best friend Lyle, but doubted that would interest her. Especially not with the mainstream District shoving propaganda down all their throats about volunteering being the honor of all honors.

 _I'm sure Michael is basking in the honor_ , Nerio thought bitterly. It was no secret that Michael, two years later, still wasn't dealing well with being in a chair. It wasn't uncommon to see him on the dock before the beach, staring blankly. It wasn't uncommon to see him struggling to get around.

Michael had worked with him, when Nerio was ten years old and trying to defend his spot in the plethora of challenges that were pouring in with hopes of being on the stage to present the Victor with presents. Thanks to Michael's advice and Nerio's work with one of the trainers, Raina, he was able to keep his spot. Michael was pretty confident and often smelt of smoke, but he was pretty sunny and nice. Nowadays he seemed so… Dampened.

Nerio ran a hand through his short, curly hair before squaring his shoulders and approaching the rest of the fifteens.

"Welcome back, Nerio," Raina said, a look in her eyes as if she had been expecting him back.

"Thank you Ma'am," he said. She tossed a plastic sword at him before he could even process what was happening, catching it quickly.

"Well, at least your reflexes haven't totally crapped over," she remarked.

"Might as well just chicken out again."

Nerio glanced over his shoulder at the same voice that had taunted him before, accompanied by a chorus of laughter behind him. "Shut up Percival. I wasn't gone _that_ long."

"Yeah? Then you'd have no problem with a quick duel."

"Percival, mind your own business," Raina said, already done with his shit.

"No." Nerio surprised himself stepping up. He was so mad he was barely thinking. Percival grinned and traded out the bow for a trident. They had just been starting basic trident technique when Nerio left. Percival was rubbing the salt in his wound, and using a weapon Nerio knew absolutely nothing about. The smart thing would be to just step away, but Nerio wasn't thinking. He was just so mad.

"What's the matter?" Percival asked, smirking, "Scared?"

"What? Of course not!" The Center was much quieter, everyone trying to seem discrete about watching the fight.

"Nerio-" Raina started, but she didn't get to finish before Percival charged at him, and Nerio raised his sword.

Nerio knew how to use it, he didn't forget, but his body wasn't responding quickly enough. He knew how to do a proper block, but for some reason the sword felt awkward in his hands. Totally alien, unfamiliar. He really was out of practice. Percival jabbed at him with his trident, and Nerio just felt lucky the tip was blunt. The force was enough to knock the wind out of Nerio, though, who was thrown off. He realized that he was going to have to work harder than he thought to get back up to that spot.

Nerio started to feel fatigued, but rage was blinding. He wasn't going to give up. He thought about how disappointed his father would look if he came back injured from a fight he lost. He was determined to win.

Eventually, Nerio threw technique out the window, attacking with all his might. He swung the sword blindly, becoming more and more frustrated when plastic clanked against plastic. It seemed that Percival was still able to predict what he was going to do. Nerio became more and more frustrated, continuing to fight. With each strike that was blocked, Nerio used more and more force, more energy. He just wanted to land a firm hit at this point. He became angrier and angrier at Nerio of the past, and Nerio of the present that just couldn't do what he wanted to do. He was outmatched and somewhere in the back of his head, he knew it. That wouldn't stop him, though, not now. He was just so mad. He didn't stop swinging madly until Percival landed a firm kick where the sun doesn't shine, sending Nerio to the ground, crying out and writhing in pain.

Percival didn't stop there, though. He got up on Nerio, punching him in the face until he was tasting blood. Nerio tried to fight back but ultimately was powerless against his grip. Pain kept exploding on his face until what felt like a century later when Percival was yanked off of him by Port Stradlater himself, and Nerio felt close to passing out, his face pulsing. Raina helped him up.

"Let's get you cleaned up. We have a lot of work to do," she said sternly.

Nerio knew better than to disobey her another time.

.

A girl was leaving Lyle's house when Nerio arrived. She stopped when she saw him, a sympathetic look on her face. Probably at the bruises that were on his face. It took him a minute to place a name to her face.

Malina Nazario. She was in his year at the Academy, but was only a part-time student. She, like her older brother and Lyle, was more interested in academic education than training.

By the look on her face, Nerio could tell that she had been there when he had been embarrassed earlier that day. Her brother was also a trainee he held the number one spot for a long time until he just suddenly dropped and was never heard from again. Well, yes he was. Now he was all famous and stuff, playing with a band or something. But he hadn't stepped a single toe back in the Academy.

"Are you alright?" she asked, seeming concerned. She was pretty cute, tan skin, dark brown hair, green eyes. As gay as Nerio was, he could at least recognize cute when he saw it.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Determination to get his skills back burned in his gut. He had to patch things up with his family. Even though he had gone back to training, his father was more distant than ever and his mother, as hard as she tried, just didn't treat him the same either. It was subtle enough that Pamela didn't notice it much, but it was eating away at Nerio. "I'll get it back."

"Here's to hoping," she said, offering him a slight smile. "I should get going, I have to study." She left and Nerio went to knock on Lyle's door. Like Malina, he was a part-time trainer, his ultimate goal being to run for mayor. It was an academically rigorous job path, but Lyle was smart enough to make it.

"Hey!" he said, his crooked smile fading when he noticed Nerio's face. Lyle, who was one year younger than Nerio at 14, was the only person Nerio really trusted to tell the truth. He'd be there to help prevent Nerio from being too self-destructive. "What… Happened?"

"I went back to training."

"Oh… Are you sure-"

"Yes. I'm sure." Nerio took a breath.

"I see. Want to come in and hang?"

Nerio nodded quickly. "Thanks." Lyle let him in and they went to the living room.

"Why was Malina here?"

"She's tutoring me," Lyle says. "Algebra two is hard."

"Ah, I see. Yeah, training isn't so hot for me right now."

"I can see that." Lyle gave him a typical crooked smile, which lifted Nerio's spirits. "You'll get back up if you work hard enough."

"I have to," Nerio sighed.

"That's not true, but whatever you think."

"I need this." Nerio couldn't imagine what would happen if he didn't get it. He was ready to work hard, make up for lost time. He would regain his pride, but, more importantly, he would open the door for a relationship with his father after he won. Maybe the Games took, but they could also give. Nerio avoided thinking about a future in which Percival beat him to the stage.

"You'll get it," Lyle said.

Nerio smiled at his best friend. "Thanks. I… I have to."

He was going to work his way up to the top. He'd climb the mountain and reach the peak.

After all, what other choice did he have?

* * *

-Luna Pentti, 18, District 4-

 _Six Months before the Reaping_

Luna was surprisingly content, even surrounded by so many people. She supposed that she was content just because she was separated slightly from the others.

The gym of the Academy was mostly obscured from view, instead covered by a big screen, onto which a live feed of news was playing.

"Well, it appears as if it's almost time for the announcement!" Viola Wallace said. She looked to be containing her excitement, whereas her sibling Piccolo didn't hold it in, letting out a happy squeak.

"How exciting! The Quell announcement for this, the 125th Hunger Games!" Piccolo said happily, flipping the blue, pink, and purple bangs out of her eyes. She was wearing a pink headband with a bow on it in her hair and a vintage pink top. She and Viola looked excited to be announcing, and added a new energy and youth to the Games.

"Everyone pay close attention now, this changes _everything_!" Viola said. Luna just felt slightly annoyed, really. _They're really stating the obvious here_ , aren't they?

"But first, a word from our sponsors!" Piccolo looked slightly pained to say it as the screen faded into commercials. There was a collective groan from all of the Academy students as some pointless ad played in the background.

Luna glanced to her side, where she made eye contact with her only real friend in the District, Elysia. Elysia was the same age as Luna, and hoped to be sitting where she was now, in the front of the crowd, next to male volunteer. Nerio Thames wasn't really Luna's first choice. First off, he was seventeen, when there were eighteen-year-olds that wanted that spot. He was skinny and didn't seem to have any muscle on him.

Then again, Luna knew she couldn't judge too quickly. Like her, he was focused as hell and determined. He spent long nights training, even when many people had left. He had a lot of drive and determination. He didn't live at the Academy like Luna did, but he was training almost as much as her. It was a brutal showdown between him and the top eighteen, Cruz. Nerio was more resourceful than the stupid brute, though. Then it was just a matter of Nerio versus the second seventeen, Percival. Ultimately, Nerio was chosen because of his versatility, which was sometimes more important than brute strength in a Quell.

Luna honestly would have preferred not to volunteer for a Quell, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't break the surface last year, and she _had_ to go into the Games. She beat Elysia for the spot and accepted the nomination to volunteer. Elysia could make something for herself, get a job teaching at the Academy or something. Luna hated to admit, but she didn't really care, as long as that spot was hers. Elysia was the person Luna liked most, but she would not get in the way of Luna's victory. Nobody would.

It was a bit of a shame that Cruz wasn't sitting beside her. He was at least half attractive, and he was so nice and gullible that Luna barely had to do anything to get him to trust him. Luna was sure that by the time the Games came by she'd be able to tell him to jump off a cliff and he'd do it.

But, alas. She was stuck with this kid instead.

Well, that is, if she even got to volunteer at all. It was possible the Quell Twist would state that only twelve-year-olds would be reaped, or even people older than the normal range. It was a total wildcard year, and Luna hated being in suspense. She hated being weak enough to feel nervousness, but at the same time, her entire fate depended on this announcement. The ads seemed to take years and years.

Soon, the screen displayed the President Blossius at his podium. The President was certainly an odd-looking man, with hair that was pink, purple, and orange, and bright blue eyes that looked so fluorescent they could glow in the dark. He held up his hands and the Capitolite crowd quieted. Luna could feel her heart pounding in her chest and hated herself for it, but at the same time knew that this was what she needed to hear. It would decide everything.

"Welcome, my lovely Capitolites, and welcome to all of the citizens of Panem. To the announcement of our twist for the fifth Quarter Quell, the 125th Hunger Games!" The Capitolites all cheered loudly, and the trainees in the Academy all clapped with them, some of them cheering as well. Luna followed suit, but not loud enough to stir the Russian blue on her lap. Selina was the apple of Luna's eye, and would definitely be the one part of home that Luna missed the most when she went away.

…If she went away.

"First, a recap of Quells past." Blossius cleared his throat. The Capitol was silent, as was the Academy. Everyone wanted to know what the Quell would be. The only people in the room that could have justifiably been more nervous than Luna (maybe) were the mentors, Michael and Port. After all, they were mentoring no matter what the twist was.

"For the 25th Hunger Games, as a reminder to the rebels that they are the reason the Hunger Games exist, each District voted in both of its tributes.

For the 50th Hunger Games, as a reminder to the rebels that for every Capitol citizen killed, two rebels died, each District sent in twice as many tributes to be sacrificed.

For the 75th Hunger Games, as a reminder to the rebels that many of their young perished, only twelve-year-old tributes were reaped.

For the 100th Games, as a reminder to the rebels that, through their actions, they surrendered control over every aspect of their lives including time itself, time reversed every seventy-two hours."

Luna knew the twists and was tired of being in suspense, as the President took out a card from the box and opened it up, painfully slowly. "For the 125th Hunger Games, as a reminder to the Districts that many people lost loved ones, the reaping age will be narrowed from 15-18, and the tributes will fall in love during their time in the Games." His lips turned up in a smile. "Good luck to all of our District citizens and future tributes. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

He placed the card down with the ring of a gong symbolizing that he was done speaking. The crowd burst out into applause, and the scene remained on the screen for a while, long enough for it to sink in.

"Fall in love…" Nerio murmured. He looked over at Luna, looking skeptical. "That can't be possible to guarantee, can it?"

Luna honestly couldn't him for sure. She knew nothing about love. Not platonic, not familial, certainly not romantic. She loved her cat and was loyal to Elysia, but that really was it. Now she really wished Cruz were here, though. She could use a lovesick idiot to puppeteer, and Nerio just didn't seem like that type.

Piccolo and Viola squeaked excitedly back and forth about the twist, about the mystery it brings with it, the fun that is bound to happen in the Arena, the drama, and all the like. They say something about a party at the President's mansion for the tributes before the interviews, but other than that, nothing they had to add is worthwhile.

Mandatory viewing ended, and immediately the Academy burst into excited chatter about the twist. Selina stands up and stretches, looking just about as annoyed as Luna felt on the inside, but Luna managed not to mimic the cat's expression. By some miracle. Unfortunately, Selina had the privilege of being able to leave the gym and go to the living quarters for on-campus trainees like Luna. The girl wished she could do the same, and was horribly jealous of the cat for just being able to escape socializing whenever she wanted to.

"Well, that's quite a twist." The Head of the Academy and Victor of the 105th Games, Scarlett Espinosa, said before turning to the mentors. "Boys, are you sure you can handle this?"

Port nodded, looking just as awkward as always, and Michael gave a short nod, though he seemed kind of distant in that moment. "Of course," he said half-heartedly.

Scarlett smiled and stepped down from the chair she'd been sitting in. She approached Luna and Nerio, and beckoned for them to stand, which they did. "Nerio, Luna, are you up for the challenge? A lot of things are up in the air right now, as we are still slightly shocked and quite confused about how this twist will work. It will be a great challenge, but will also reap a great reward. Will you accept the spots as the District Four tributes for the 125th Annual Hunger Games?"

"I will," the soon-to-be tributes said simultaneously. _I don't care if the Quell twist is killing with one hand tied behind our backs,_ Luna thought. _I'm going into those Games. I'll work my way through whatever is thrown at me just like I've been trained to do._

"Congratulations," Scarlett said, a kind and genuine smile on her face. "And may the odds be ever in your favor." She nodded to Michael and Port. "Take care of these two." Michael gave a salute and Port an awkward nod before she announced, "District 4 trainees, your volunteers!" The room burst out into applause. Elysia looked slightly jealous, but when Luna made eye contact with her, quickly put a smile back on. Luna flipped some of her chocolate-brown hair over her shoulder and allowed herself to smile, basking in the honor of officially solidifying the title of tribute. The applause was for her. Alright, half of it was for him, but whatever, he didn't really matter. This was her moment. And she was going to have an even bigger moment at the reaping in six months.

Six months. Time to prepare for the Games was running out. She knew she'd have to work harder than she'd ever worked before, train longer and harder than ever, to make sure she had done everything to ensure her Victory. She'd have to try and get into Nerio's head and see if she couldn't start planting some ideas and fake trust in there. There was still so much to check off of the list, there was absolutely no time for slacking off.

Well, alright, maybe just a couple of minutes while the applause dies down. Luna took a deep breath and knew that she was meant to be here. This was her calling. She would make everyone who doubted her swallow her words and step out on top. She wanted to prove herself to everyone, not just her family.

The Academy let out, many of the trainees leaving. Nerio, however, stayed behind, already talking strategy with his mentor Port. Luna admired his focus and knew that even if he wouldn't hold up in a hand-to-hand fight against a District Two powerhouse, his brains were going to be his saving grace. However, he was ultimately in it for the honor of Victory, which Luna respected because she was the same way.

She didn't really want to talk to Michael, and was sure that he really didn't want to talk to her at that moment either, so she turned to look for Selina when she was stopped.

"Hey!" Elysia caught up to her.

"Hey," Luna said, smiling at her friend.

"Congrats, volunteer." Elysia didn't seem very bothered anymore. "I think you'll do much better with that Quell twist than I would have. I guess teaching here isn't all that bad. We'd get to see each other every day!" Luna knew that she meant it, and it must have taken a lot to realize that after how helpless Elysia had felt without the Games.

"I hope so," Luna said. "Though you're right, you always seem to fall for the assholes," she tried teasing, and it went over well as Elysia laughed.

"Well, you always put their foot in their mouths for them. What else could I ask for from a best friend?" she laughed and Luna smiled. She really did like Elysia and felt comfortable around her. Luna's brother Helios gave her a smile and a wave as he was leaving the Academy, leaving to go home.

Home to the parents that neglected Luna. Home to the people Luna despised. Home to the place she ran away from. Her and her brother were civil, almost close, but after all those years of being compared to him, she just couldn't call him her friend.

He was going home to a life that she ran away from. She never regretted leaving, not one day in her life.

Once the Academy was mostly empty, Luna and Elysia went to their rooms, where Selina was waiting for Luna to crawl into bed and sleep for the night.

Maybe Helios had the love of their parents that Luna never got.

She was going to prove that she was always worthy of their love.

They're going to regret not loving her like they should have.

She vowed to make them eat their words as she drifted off to sleep.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Woo hoo, getting out an update in a day! Sorry if some places felt a little bit rushed, I was trying to get as much as possible into a small word count!**_

 _ **Big thanks to Venerated Art and rosecatforever for Nerio and Luna respectively! I hope I was able to give them good introductions!**_

 _ **Also, the choice that overwhelmingly won at the poll was recapping the reapings from a Capitolite POV, so my next poll is going to be a list of options as to who you want to hear from/learn more about in this chapter. If I'm gonna subject you to my OCs I might as well let you pick which ones, right? Haha, just kidding :P Still, I'm indecisive so I'd like to see you vote!**_

 _ **Other than that, nothing really new to report. Over halfway done with introductions, I'm going to work hard to crank them out as fast as I possibly can with college life being college life. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and support and words of encouragement and criticisms and all of your input! It means a lot!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as the others. What did you think of each? Who did you like better? How'd I do?**_

 _ **Thanks for 150 reviews! :D**_


	13. District 9: Winners and Losers

-Juniper Fisher, 18, District 9-

 _Eleven Months before the reaping_

June was sitting on a rock with her best friend, waiting impatiently.

"I'm honestly surprised you're going," Connie said, weaving a couple of dandelions into June's hair. "I thought you said that if District Nine ' _ever actually got a goddamn stupid Victor_ ,' you ' _wouldn't give a flying stinky shit_.'"

June laughed a little bit. "Did I really say that? Ow, pulled too hard."

"Sorry," Connie said, loosening her grip on June's hair. "But unlike you, Miss Fisher, I'm sober to remember all the stupid shit you've said drunk."

"Oh God," June sighed. "I can't believe I've gone so long without drinking."

"It's good, though. Have you even been to a party since…"

"Hm… Yeah, yeah I have. I went to Regina Maccarrick's big birthday bash. Huge party, blaring music, shitty rap music, at that, plenty of alcohol. You know, I might have had a drink… Or maybe it was spiked…" June rubbed her temples and sighed. "I don't know."

"I remember that. I didn't go to that one, I was sick."

"Oh, yeah, with that awful monster cold. Damn, I remember that, your nose was red as a cherry and you were sooooo crabby."

Connie laughed a bit. "Hey, it wasn't funny then. I felt awful."

"You sounded so ridiculous though," June teased, plugging her nose to mock her friend. "Bore soub June! Bore soub!"

Connie laughed along with June, letting go of her friend's hair. "I couldn't breathe through my nose. I was bedridden for days."

"Lucky your best friend was there then, isn't it?" June asked, grinning. "After all the times you babysat me with hangovers, it's the least I could do."

"Well, those days are behind us now, right?" Connie was worried about June, back in her rebellious days.

Of course, nobody could put out the spitfire that was June Fisher, but at least she was slightly calmer nowadays. She still never said no to a dare, though, not even Mr. Perfect could change that about her. As soon as "double dog dare" came out of someone's mouth, Connie knew she was going to follow June into some crazy stunt to prove that she was, indeed, not a chicken. You could call June Fisher a lot of things, but chicken was definitely not one of them.

"As long as I have him, that is," June said. By the look in her eyes, Connie knew that she was sure they'd be together forever. Three years was a long time, especially in the developmental stages of being a teenager, Connie couldn't deny that. She was just worried that June would be too rash about this. Luckily, she'd found herself a good guy, and he wouldn't take advantage of her like that. Connie could only hope.

"It's because of him, isn't it?"

June looked up, her light brown eyes sparkling with curiosity as she brushed some of the shorter, cheek-length hair on her left side out of them.

"Hm?"

"That you're going to this thing."

"Oh," June said, with a slight laugh. "Yeah, it is."

Connie sighed. She was glad that June was going there instead of to some sweaty, drabby grind-fest, sure, but she was hoping maybe June would make a good decision for herself that didn't involve him. It seemed everything involved him nowadays. Connie almost considered it unhealthy, it seemed June was obsessed with him. Not in a creepy way, of course, more like… Well, when she tells him that he's always on her mind, she's not lying. It seems that Connie and June can barely go twenty minutes without him coming up. Connie knew that June loved thinking about him, loved him, but she couldn't help but wonder what June would be without him. It was slightly worrisome.

It was good that she was making these good decisions, of course. Connie was glad that she was becoming less and less reckless. Maybe she would settle down, maybe even have a family someday like her parents wanted. But it seemed that everything came back to Jasper.

She just said a simple "I see," brushing the dandelion out of June's hair as a familiar figure came rushing towards them. June lit up at seeing him, quickly hopping up to receive his greeting hug.

"Hey babe," he said, giving her a peck on the lips.

June smiled up at him. "Hey," she said quietly.

"You look beautiful," he said, releasing her and taking her hand instead.

"Thanks," she said, giggling. She always felt beautiful when he said that.

"I have my belt one notch looser than usual," Jasper grinned, "For all that fat I put on at the feast."

June rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at him. He was such a dork, but he was her dork and that was the best part.

"Better watch it," she said, poking him in the stomach. He squeaked and jumped back slightly, but she soon snuggled into his arm again. "I'm just kidding you," she said. She wasn't one to joke around too much. "I'd love you if you were as fat as a turkey about to be slaughtered." She tilted her chin up to kiss his jaw. "I still love you even though you seem to be incapable of using a razor, after all."

Jasper laughed, a loud, booming noise. "It's an aesthetic. It makes me look more _mature_."

"You? Mature?" she smirked playfully at him. "If that's what you think," she mused. "I love you anyways."

"My face does feel a bit like a kiwi, though, doesn't it?"

"When have you ever felt a _kiwi_?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. "That's an exclusively Capitol delicacy."

Jasper just shrugged with a goofy smile. "You got me there, Babe."

"We'll be late if we keep diddle-daddling," Connie said. She was used to this behavior and kept the two lovebirds in line. She started walking and the others followed.

Since it was impossible to fit the entire District of people in the Town Square, there were actually going to be multiple parties with multiple feasts happening in honor of District 9's newest Victor, Prentice Tholberg. The District was so expansive and rural that the closest location to them was about a half an hour's walk. The District had been divided into 12 factions, each of which had a plaza with some shops, Peacekeeper Barracks, and a big screen so that the homeless and poorest people could still watch the Games. June had no idea if they had feasts in every faction when Vale won all that time ago, but apparently Blossius thought that it would get the Districts more excited about the Games if everyone got to participate in the fun. She wasn't complaining, though.

Jasper and June walked in almost perfect sync, Connie beside them.

"Sorry for making you feel like a third wheel," Jasper said. He was so kind and considerate.

"Oh, it's alright," Connie said quietly.

"I should've brought Trev if I'd known you'd be along." Connie was plenty acquainted with Jasper's best friend Trevor. June and Jasper were convinced that their best friends were destined to be together. They were so happy together, why wouldn't Connie and Trevor be? It was a perfect match. They had been set up on various dates: first a blind date, then a double date, then another "please give it one more chance Connie it could really be something he could be the one" date. (He wasn't.) They didn't dislike each other, they just weren't as compatible as Jasper and June. Nobody could possibly be as compatible as Jasper and June, it seemed.

"It's alright, Jasper."

"If you're sure," he said, going back to being disgustingly cute with June as they went to the plaza. Jasper knew the way quite well, as he often came this way to babysit in the wealthier faction of the District. "Emma's probably with her family in the Square right now," he mused, looking out past the shops where he would continue walking if it were a normal day. It wasn't a normal day, though. They were in store for a lot of fun, or so June hoped.

When they arrived, the plaza was already bustling with people. There was quite a crowd, and unlike the groups at school back home, June didn't know most of them. She didn't exactly feel nervous, though, as Jasper was such a people pleaser that it was bound to not be a problem. She kept an eye out for some cute guys for Connie to talk to as well. She was just so happy with Jasper, she wanted her friend to experience that too. The live feed on the screen showed the main Square, where a crowd even bigger than theirs was forming. District Nine was abuzz. June had never seen it quite so vibrant and lively before. She couldn't say she didn't like it.

Eventually, the screen showed the seal of Panem and the national anthem blasted, causing everyone to quiet immediately as the camera cut to the stage, where the crowd in the main Square was still buzzing until the escort cut them off. Bonita Beauxford asserted herself, her voice booming through the speakers. She was almost louder than Jasper. Almost. June tried to drone her out but it was hard, as Bonita gave her love to District 9 and told them that she was promoted to escort for District 8 next year.

 _So much for her faith in us_ , June thought, sighing. She spent about a second wondering what kind of new escort District 9 would see next year. Like she cared.

Prentice was announced onto the stage. It was his first time back there after winning. He looked much older than he did before the Games. Before the Games he looked young, and sweet. He cracked jokes during his interview in a way that reminded her of Jasper, except not as loud and not as funny. At the time, June could barely believe that he was the same age as her. Now, though, he looked much older. More mature. More hollow. He spoke quickly and didn't look at his District partner's side of the podium.

"It's funny," Jasper whispered. "That if we lived closer together, we might have been friends. He looks like Emma. I wonder if he lives near her now."

"That'd be weird. He's like, Panem's next biggest thing. To think that you could've seen him out on an afternoon walk one day…" Wow.

Prentice held up his hand and the crowds, both on the screen and around Jasper and June, burst out into applause. There was cheering and yelling that was louder than any party June had ever attended. Prentice darted off the stage and picked up a girl that looked a lot like him in a tight hug. Probably his sister. June sighed, wishing she had a sister or brother. She liked kids, even though she didn't really talk to that many. She did want to settle, she did want a family in the future. But right now, the only buns in the oven she was interested in were the ones that filled the plaza with a delicious aroma.

She and Jasper tore through the crowd shamelessly, their eyes on the prize. They reached the tables and started piling up their plates. It became almost competition-like for them, to see who could get the most food and the most variety. Once the plates were full to their hearts content, the couple slid back through the crowd and found a place to eat. They tried everything, sometimes feeding each other, sometimes too excited for the other to be finished chewing. Both of them chattered with their mouths full.

June had always lived comfortably and had never been starving, but this was absolutely amazing. She really wished she were a Capitolite at that point. They probably got to do this all the time. Now she was excited about the new Victor. She hoped that District 9 would keep up the streak, two, three Victors in a row!

Soon, a couple of musicians, one with an acoustic guitar and another with a fiddle, began to play, filling the Square with happy, jolly tunes. Sure, maybe they weren't quite Upward Voyager-level good, but June still felt jolly. She and Jasper barely gave the food time to digest before they were swinging and spinning around with everyone else, laughing and chattering over the other people. She laughed as he picked her up and spun her around, as they linked hands and June was able to show off some of the dancing she knew from practice. She and Jasper looked amazing, really. Eventually they let go of each other enough for Jasper to show off some quick footwork, impressing a crowd that watched and cheered him on. He looked so happy to be the center of attention, and June just smiled affectionately because she knew that at the end of the day, he was hers and she was his.

They ate and danced and laughed and stole kisses until the sun was setting, and had one last slow-dance under the dim, golden light of the sunset.

June closed her eyes, snuggling into Jasper's chest and listening to his heartbeat, slow and steady. He was warm, he was close, she could feel him breathing… The music was sweet and they swayed gently. She felt safe and peaceful and just… Right. So right. She felt him bury his face in her hair and inhaled his scent slowly. Maybe this party was for Prentice Tholberg, but he wasn't dating the best man in the world, now was he?June was so immersed in Jasper and the music and the breeze of the dusk, only one thought playing in her mind.

 _I'm the real winner here._

* * *

-Jasper Pearce, 18, District 9-

 _Four Months before the reaping_

"Jasper are you watching? Are your ready Jasper? Hey! Jasper I'm going to show you something, are you ready?"

"I'm ready kiddo!" he said, laughing.

Jasper didn't regret missing the party for this. In fact, this was one of those times when he just felt relaxed. His nice shirt was no longer tucked into his pants, wrinkling loosely, and the button that tightened around the neck area was undone, as was the tie that was sitting by his shoes so that he wouldn't forget it. Jasper wasn't used to taking his shoes off in the house, but ever since Emma's mother remarried a wealthy man, it's been a rule.

He knew he was lucky to still have this job, and was paid well by Emma's family, and didn't want to do anything that might cause him to lose it. After all, Emma's parents could have hired a neighborhood teen, one like Prentice Tholberg was before he became the most famous thing in the District, but they didn't. Emma had insisted that Jasper continue to babysit her, and she got what she wanted. Jasper was thankful, he loved her like a little sister and would have hated to lose her. The extra pay was pretty sweet too, he couldn't deny that. Especially to do something he loved so much. It didn't even feel like work, really.

Jasper watched, being sure to express his undying, never-ending interest as Emma pushed the hoop around her hips, rotating them so that the hoop kept twirling without hitting the ground. As she went, she counted out loud, so that Jasper would know just how many times she could manage to get it around before it fell to the ground.

"One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Oh, that wasn't a very good one, keep watching Jasper, I got to twenty yesterday all by myself!"

Jasper was just impressed. Emma had tried everything to teach him to hula hoop, but seeing as the 18-year-old had never had a toy quite like this growing up, it took some getting used to. The little pink plastic hoop was just the right size for the six-year-old girl, but a bit small for an eighteen-year-old boy like Jasper. Emma quickly picked up the hoop again, counting out loud some more, as Jasper watched. The hoop continued to fall to the floor, and Emma continued insisting that she would do better. She gave up trying to beat her record when she got to fifteen, but made sure that Jasper knew that all by herself, she had gotten to twenty once. She seemed a bit frustrated that she wasn't able to equal herself with a pair of eyes watching, so Jasper quickly offered another activity in the hopes of lifting her spirits.

"How about I heat up some dinner for us and then we can do some coloring?" he asked, to which Emma quickly nodded and skipped to the kitchen, Jasper following. He got the plates out of the fridge and put them in the microwave to heat them up. The first time they had these instructions, Jasper had no idea how to use that strange little radioactive oven, and hadn't exactly trusted that the food was really safe to consume, but he had a new affinity for the little device, which always did its job well. Something like that was not unheard of where Jasper was from, but was quite uncommon.

Jasper took the first plate of food out of the microwave and put it in front of Emma, who ate happily as he cooked his own. He insisted that Mrs. Rall didn't have to feed him, but since she was offering, he certainly wasn't going to turn it down. The food tasted amazing. Emma talked to him all about school and her day, to which Jasper listened like she was the only thing that mattered. She always liked to have his attention.

"I'm ready for dessert now!" she said, widening her blue eyes and giving him a hopeful smile.

Jasper just shook his head, smiling amusedly. "You know the rules, kiddo. You have to eat your dinner before you can have dessert."

"Jasper, I did eat my dinner!" she whined, one last attempt to avoid the brussels sprouts that were still on her plate.

"Can't give you dessert until those guys are gone," Jasper said, sternly but not angrily. They always had this talk, and in the end Emma was a good kid that ate them (though she didn't always _like_ them). Jasper couldn't blame her, though. Brussels sprouts were disgusting, even when Mrs. Rall prepared them.

Emma huffed and put the vegetables into her mouth, chewing them slowly and being sure that Jasper saw the various faces of distaste she made at the unpleasant food. Once she swallowed the last one down, chugging her entire glass of water, Jasper went to the freezer, from which he pulled out some cups of ice cream.

"Do you think we'll have pizza tomorrow?" she asked, happily spooning the delicious, smooth treat into her mouth.

"It's Saturday, I would sure hope so," Jasper said. If it were up to the two of them, they would have pizza every day, but Mrs. Rall limited them to once a week. Jasper supposed that was fair, but he always looked forward to Saturday evenings. Once the ice cream was eaten and the dishes were rinsed, Emma skipped to the living room, where she found two boxes of crayons and her favorite coloring books.

Emma and Jasper did some coloring together. Emma was very focused the entire time, while Jasper was more relaxed. In his work around the schoolhouse, coloring was nothing new to him. He much preferred coloring princesses on their way to balls to coloring the ice palace Arena in which Vesperus Floridius drew out the suffering of all six tributes that died by him. After some coloring and other activities, Jasper noticed that the time was going on 8:45.

"Alright, kiddo, I think it's your bedtime now," Jasper said.

"Aw, Jasper!" Emma complained, but she was getting tired and didn't put up a fight after that, going with Jasper to the bathroom. Jasper turned on the water for her and then left to give her some privacy, checking in to make sure that she was washing properly and helping her wash her hair. Once she was clean, she went to bed without a fuss, where Jasper read her a story until she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Once Emma was asleep, Jasper tucked her in and went back out to the living room, sitting on the couch and letting his mind wander to June. June had invited him to party with her tonight, but he had already agreed to babysit and wasn't much of a partier anyways, so he told her to have fun while he was working. After not much of a break, though, Jasper was back to work. After all, he had to help plan a lesson for Monday, and he had no idea where to even start with this one. It was going to take some time.

Maybe this wasn't the ideal Friday night for most, but Jasper was content with it. Emma slept peacefully until her parents arrived back home around ten and thanked him for watching over her. Mrs. Rall gave him his pay and he told them both good night before he started to walk back home.

The fresh air of the night always did wonders for clearing Jasper's head, and that's what he needed to figure out how the hell he was going to start telling his kids about the 84th Games when they were so taboo. He hadn't exactly lived through them, so he really had no idea what actually happened. District 9 had gotten third place though, which is why they had to talk about them at all. The breeze made him forget those things, though, and instead had his mind wandering to where he was going to meet June after the party, and enjoy her company for a while. He could hardly wait. He hoped they'd get some quality cuddle time in before they had to focus on working and planning and such.

Trevor often teased him about these midnight meetings with June, but it didn't really bother Jasper as he was pretty used to being on the butt end of a joke. As long as it got some attention, what did it matter if he poked some fun at himself, right? Trevor knew that Jasper and June had decided to wait until they were adults, married maybe, ready to have kids of their own. Jasper hadn't really mentioned that kids weren't a thing he really wanted, just because the thought of being a mother someday made June light up so brightly. They could talk about it when they were old enough to worry about it. But, for now, they just had to enjoy it.

Jasper went home, quietly changing out of his school clothes and into a comfortable T-shirt and some basketball shorts, replacing the loafers he was wearing with his favorite pair of tennis shoes. He made sure he looked okay, of course, before checking the time. It was only 11:30 by the time he was ready to leave again, so he still had some time before he was expected at June's place at midnight.

Jasper got some water from the kitchen, tip-toeing to avoid waking his father. Jasper hated arguments, and his father just brought such a fight out of him. Someone that knew Jasper would have assumed it was caused by his mother's death a couple years ago, but the truth was they had been that way even before that. In fact, the death of Jasper's mom caused absolutely no change, for better or for worse, between Jasper and his father.

Jasper sat at the table, sipping water, and let his thoughts wander to June.

He definitely hoped she wouldn't be drunk. For her sake just as much as his. June had been better about drinking lately, but this was the first party she'd been to since… Since they went to the Victory feast months ago. Jasper hoped she wasn't sick or hurt, or even worse, passed out on the floor somewhere. He was glad to get out of his thoughts and start towards her house, excited to see his beautiful girlfriend and have some time to relax with her. They made this plan every Friday night. June's parents worked hard, and were probably sleeping soundly, so just as he always did, Jasper would enter her room through her window.

He threw a rock up there to make sure she knew he was coming. Usually, June came to open the window and greet him, but she didn't this time. He thought it was odd, but saw the lamp on in her room and decided that maybe she just didn't hear him. He reached the window and opened it, looking around the room. June wasn't sitting on her bed, waiting for him like she usually was.

"June?"

"Hm? What's wrong baby?"

He didn't know that voice. That was strange. June had no siblings. It wasn't Connie. She didn't really talk to other people. And why…

The overhead light clicked on just then, revealing June and another girl under the covers, both of them obviously not wearing any clothes.

Jasper's stomach turned, emotions of rage and hurt boiling in his gut.

"June?"

Jasper's girlfriend, or who he thought was his one and only girlfriend, opened her eyes just then, groaning. "Shush," she said, squinting in the light.

Jasper felt like an idiot. He felt betrayed, angry, hurt, upset… He couldn't choose just one emotion. Everything was blurring together in a whirlwind of black, dark, ugly blackness that settled in his stomach. He wanted to throw up. His hands shook and he felt slightly light-headed. He couldn't form a thought, a word, a sentence. All he could do was stand and gape like some kind of… Monkey.

June took a minute to realize the situation, blinking at him with a hollow look in her eyes.

"What're you doin' here Baby?" she slurred. She's still drunk as fuck, Jasper thought, which made him feel even angrier. She had no idea that he was even hurt.

Jasper could barely control himself but he knew he had to say something to her. He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing a lump in his throat and keeping the tears from forming. He wouldn't give her the fucking satisfaction of seeing him hurt by her actions.

"B-Br-eaking up with y-ou," he stammered out, his voice wobbling through clenched teeth. He thought they trusted each other.

How _else_ had she lied to him? Who else had she cheated on him with?! He thought they had something real, something strong, something… Something special. He had done _everything_ for her, he had taken time to think about them spending the rest of their lives together, he had made sacrifices on her behalf, it was never anyone else, it was always her. He'd pushed his boundaries for her, he'd supported her and done everything for her, and _this_ was how she repaid him!? He tried to ask his rational side for advice, but the truth was that she had broken the trust, which is what their relationship was resting on. He didn't want to lose his temper at her, no, he still loved her too much for that, even if he wanted to (and he wanted to), he just couldn't.

"Jasp-"

"No. We're… D-Done. Don't talk to me ever again."

"Jasper please!" some touch of emotion found its way into her voice as she stuttered and stumbled, trying to reach him, but Jasper didn't ever want to have anything to do with her.

Jasper turned around quickly, away from the girl he thought was the love of his life, a constant in a crazy world, his one and only, his sunshine, moon and stars, his everything. She grabbed his arm and he shook her off, not looking back at her.

"It's over!" he shouted. Maybe he shouldn't have raised his voice, but he was beyond caring.

He shook her clumsy grip off of his wrist and jumped back to the ground, where he started running, running as fast as he possibly could, running aimlessly, with the hope that maybe he would end up somewhere as far away from Juniper Fisher as possible, somewhere that he could forget all about his broken heart and ruined trust, about the cheater that he had done _everything_ for… He kept running. Hoping that if he got tired enough, he would realize this was all a horrible dream and wake up, and tell June, and they'd laugh about it together and she'd tell him that she'd never cheat and he'd believe her because they trusted each other…

Jasper ran until his lungs burned and the world was starting to spin, where he collapsed on the trail and wheezed, panted, desperate for air. That's when the tears began. Once they started, they didn't stop, they kept on flowing, pouring down his cheeks and dripping on the dirt ground.

For the first time in his life, Jasper Pearce felt like a fucking loser.

He was stripped of his pride and his livelihood all in one go. He would have to heal, but that was a process that was going to take a while.

Jasper heaved himself up, wiping at his cheeks, breath still shaking. He started home slowly, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely.

It was gone, all of it.

Jasper vowed that he would never even look at June ever again, as long as either of them may live.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Another chapter!**_

 _ **Also, just a side note, but I'm not going to apologize for time between updates because we all know that life's crazy and I don't see the point of being sorry that this took time to get out because we are all human and we all have life outside of ff. I just hate seeing other SYOT authors so worried about time between updates and it's something I don't think is really fair to them. And I was about to say I'm sorry that it took long but the reality is that it's just life. Sorry for the rant-ish thing, I just want to defeat the stigma that it's something worth worrying profusely over.**_

 _ **Anyways, if you haven't already voted on the poll about who should recap the reapings, it is still open! It'll be open for a while, until we get through the reapings.**_

 _ **So, thanks so much to david12341 for both Jasper and June! Jasper's part was kind of long but I didn't want it to feel rushed so I used some extra words on him. I hope I did well with them!**_

 _ **I think that's all I have to say. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated! Four more Districts before I'm done with intro scenes! Then we can really get started here!**_

 _ **Alright, that's all I've got! Thanks for your support, y'all, and don't worry about review speed, as long as I know you're still around and intend to read, I won't take it out on your tributes : )**_

 _ **Chapter Question: You know the drill. Thoughts on each? Who'd you like better and why? David, how'd I do?**_

 _ **See you all in District 5!**_


	14. District 5: Scholarships and Apartments

-Joule Barode, 18, District 5-

 _Five Months before the reaping_

As soon as his AST was over, Joule was on his way to Rajai's. He knew that Raj did most of his work at night, and hoped that his friend would be free. Joule just went where his feet took them, following his gut.

The test had been long and gruesome, that was for sure. It had taken into the afternoon, without as much as a break for lunch. There had been a little of everything on it, and Joule did his best the entire time. A lot of the people in the room were surprised that Joule was there taking the test, as many of them had thought that the boy wasn't smart enough to have a shot at any kind of scholarship.

Joule, unlike many, wasn't really loud and proud about his intelligence, and kept to himself. He hoped, for his sake as well as his fiancé's, that he could get a scholarship and go to school, hoping for a better paying job than factory work. Joule wasn't sure he could make it to District 3, but he was hopeful to get into District 5's university. He didn't want to get his hopes up too high, but there was a chance he scored high enough to be considered for a Delacroix scholarship.

Of course, the candidates for that were the top 10 scoring students in the District, but… To have a Victor pay off all of your University bills was… An unimaginable opportunity. Maybe Joule wasn't genius-level smart, but he'd put in a lot of work. He wanted to feel the proud triumph of success, he wanted to make himself and his fiancé proud. This meant so much to him, he'd put in so much time and effort, and was willing to keep working hard in University and do everything he could to change the world.

It was so hard for him to not get his hopes up. He felt fairly confident about the test, which was either really good or really bad. He'd just have to wait and see. He would get his scores and scholarship money from the District before the reaping came, but the Delacroix letters didn't come out until after the reaping, when it was set in stone that the Top 10 were safe from reapings.

That's probably why he'd made it to Rajai's house. He was nervous, and when his emotions were overflowing, he usually ended up here. Granted, the aftermath of talking to Rajai usually just made it worse, but it was like an addiction at this point. That half an hour or so of relief was worth it.

Joule knocked on the door, swallowing a lump in his throat. He was still pretty intimidated by Rajai, in a way. He waited nervously, and was about to turn around and just go home when it opened.

His short, black hair was messy, and as soon as the 24-year-old saw Joule there, his lips went up in a smirk.

"Hey baby," he said, causing Joule to stare at his feet.

"Hello Rajai."

"What brings you to my neck of the woods then?" the older man asked, leaning against one side of the doorframe and crossing his arms, still smirking.

"Just wondered if you were working."

"Not till six thirty." He stepped aside, raising a bushy black eyebrow at Joule. "Come on in then."

Joule obeyed, entering the dimly-lit, dusty little shack Rajai called home.

"You look great," Rajai said, leading him to the bedroom. He was still smirking when he flopped on the bed, Joule climbing up on his lap.

"Shut up," Joule growled, pushing Rajai back into a laying position and kissing his neck roughly. Joule needed to get his mind off of the stress of the day, and as soon as he started forcing moans and mewls out of Rajai, he started to feel better. Joule nibbled on his neck, only pausing to tug his shirt off roughly.

Rajai chuckled a little bit, which soon turned into a gasp as Joule slid his hands down the back of his underwear. "I like it when you're not wrapped up with foreplay," he breathed.

"I said shush," Joule growled, biting on his shoulder and causing Rajai to make a strange combination of a whimper, a laugh, and a moan.

"You know I don't usually play sub, don't you Baby?" Rajai asked, pulling Joule's shirt off.

"I don't care." Joule grinded down against him while biting on his neck, causing Rajai's smirk to fade into a look of desperation for just a second. "Now shut up and look pretty before I fuck you good."

Rajai just laughed and started undoing Joule's pants. "As you wish."

.

It was even colder and windier when Joule started home. He walked slowly, hoping the icy wind would cancel out the stench of Rajai's cologne. He was used to this, the emotions that were swirling around in his chest just like the flurries were blowing across the sky, making it hard to see.

Joule was heading back home, walking slowly. Sometimes he yearned for peace among the chaos. As much as he told himself that he wanted to feel so many emotions like in the books, he really didn't want to feel them all at once. Joule loved to read, though with all the studying he hadn't had too much time to do it. He had indirectly gotten to read while studying for the Games History part of the test.

In studying the 42nd Games it was pretty much required to have some knowledge about a book called _Lord of the Flies_. Since the 9 boy in that Games had pretended he was in the book, effectively turning into a savage like the book described, it had been pretty scarce and hard to find. It was sick, true, but it was one of those things that was just as interesting as it was sick. Among the rest of Games history, with its broken outer District tributes and pompous Careers, it was definitely one of the most interesting.

Joule walked home, not particularly bothered by the cold wind on his ears and neck. He was pretty used to it. Besides, he was sweating pretty hard after his time with Rajai, so the cold was mostly just a relief.

Tomorrow would be another day of work, with annoying Watt constantly over his shoulder, asking what the test was like and how he thought he did before informing him just how small his chance at the Delacroix really were. It was just so annoying. But today, he was allowed to just have some Joule time. He needed it every once in a while.

"Joule!" Joule's heart dropped when he heard that familiar voice calling to him.

Rilah ran over to him, her green eyes alight at seeing the one she loves. Joule instinctively picked her up and twirled her when she ran into his arms, beaming at him.

"Hey baby," she said, her cheeks adorably rosy from the cold.

"Hey," Joule said, kissing her forehead and smiling. Even when he thought he wouldn't be, he was always happy to see her.

Rilah beamed up at him, taking both of her hands in his. They just had this amazing connection between them, and could tell things about each other with even the smallest hints. He had never felt more connected to anyone in his life. They had originally scheduled their wedding for a week before the tests, but Rilah noticed how the thought of it was stressing Joule out and giving him anxiety, so she had no problem moving it. She thought he was just nervous for the ASTs.

Joule was nervous for the test, sure, but… It was so much more than that. He dreaded the very thought of their wedding night. So far he had had her convinced that he was just devoted to abstinence, that he was against premarital sex, which she found charming and endearing. Now he was too far in the lie for the truth to be an option. How could he even explain it without hurting her feelings? He couldn't stand to think about it. He wasn't even totally sure that she would understand.

"Are you wearing a new perfume?" Joule asked, noticing a new scent on his fiancé.

"Oh!" Rilah seemed surprised he noticed, maybe a bit nervous herself. "Yeah, it's new!"

"I like it." He smiled at the way her eyes were full of light when she smiled.

"Thanks!" She giggled, and the sound was like music to Joule's ears. He loved it when she laughed, and loved to make her smile like that. When she was happy, so was he. Sure, there were always these anxious feelings swirling around in his gut, but he could usually ignore them when the two of them were together.

"Any time, my dear." She grabbed onto his arm.

"What are you doing wandering these parts?" she asked, before she seemed to put it together. "Nervous about the test? How'd it go?"

"Oh, it went well! I think. But yes, it's hard to not be nervous about it, you know? After putting in all of those hours..."

"I know, it must be so stressful. If there's anything I can do to help get your mind off of it..." She looked up at him, biting her lip flirtily. That was exactly the face she had made before she offered Joule sex the last time.

Joule laughed a bit. "Just being here is all I need, okay?"

"Of course. Then that's what you shall have." She was so agreeable about it, and didn't seem mad at Joule for wanting to wait, which was a relief. He held onto her so long because he couldn't imagine life without her. She was so important to his existence.

"Thanks Ri," he said, kissing the top of her head. Then, another thought came to him. "What brings you here?"

"I was just walking back from a visit with Roland."

"Oh, I see. How's he doing?"

"He's good." Rilah smiled. "Not as much fun as you, though."

Joule laughed. "Thanks darling."

The couple walked together through the snow.

"How's your brother?"

"Surge? He's good. I think the reality of the reaping is hitting him pretty hard this year, now that he's trying to be less naïve."

"Aw, that sucks," Rilah frowned. "Well, I'm sure that he'll find the balance between optimistic and realistic. It's good to have some goals. Like the Delacroix. That's a good goal." She stopped to wrap her arms around his neck, smiling up at him.

"Maybe too optimistic," Joule said, smiling slightly down at her. She had a way of calming him down, and today was no exception. The way she looked at him, so steadfast and loyal, optimistically, he immediately felt better.

"But not impossible."

"I guess not." She kissed him, and he prayed that she wouldn't taste Rajai. His heart picked up as he started to panic that she had figured out what he was doing, but she just grinned up at him.

"Let's get out of the cold," he suggested, taking his arm again.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled a bit, mostly relieved that he hadn't been caught, as he and Rilah walked back to Joule's place. They didn't talk, but they didn't have to. He had her by his side, and that was all he needed.

Rajai may have been a good fuck, but that was all he was. Joule couldn't see himself ever falling in love with someone like him, just like the thought of having sex with Rilah was just disgusting to him. He hated what he was doing, and knew that Rilah would be hurt if she found out, but he couldn't stop. Saying no was just so hard, especially when Rajai got his mind off of everything so well.

"How's your Mom?"

"Still working just as hard as always," Joule sighed. "I'm hoping that once Surge tones himself down a little bit, maybe those two will strengthen their relationship after I'm gone."

"I can't believe we're going to live together!" Rilah says, beaming at him. "We'll be married. I'll be Rilah Barode."

"It's beautiful." Joule smiled tenderly at her, recognizing the joy on her face as he felt it in his heart.

"Just one more reaping. Then we'll get to take our valuables and make a new life together."

"Hopefully I'll be able to afford a house for us someday," Joule sighed quietly.

"Hey, an apartment is just fine. Better than those old shacks in the ugly part of town. Ravaged by violence and criminals. For us, young and free, a small cozy apartment sounds great. There's a complex that's about half an hour away from the University, it's pretty affordable and there are a few apartments opening up next year."

"Really? That sounds too perfect." Joule grinned, and Rilah laughed again. Her laughter warmed him right up, faster than the coat and gloves he owned could, faster than even Rajai's kisses could.

"Doesn't it? My point is just… Don't be too stressed out, alright hun? We'll be fine no matter what happens. At the end of the day, I'll be married to you, and that's all I could want."

Joule couldn't help but smile as Rilah pressed her lips to his cheek. "Alright. You're right. Marrying you is all I want too."

He felt miles better than he had in a while as he and Rilah entered the Barode household, where a warm dinner was waiting for them.

* * *

-Dyna Holborn, 18, District 5-

 _One Month before the reaping_

The wind felt amazing against Dyna's face. Riding the route had become less of a physical struggle and more routine.

Learning to ride the bike had certainly been an event. It had caused a lot of scraped elbows and knees, and a lot of frustration, but one day it just… Clicked.

That seemed to be the way things went for Dyna. Certain things were just plain uncomfortable, more and more frustrating as they didn't understand what was happening, more and more bothersome, until one day things just… Clicked.

Some things took longer to click than others.

Riding the bike hadn't taken too long. Just a couple of hours. They were so desperate for work, and they knew that they wouldn't be able to get to University like Owen… This was their chance to have a job that they didn't absolutely hate. It only took a little bit for them to learn how to balance and ride.

Then there was their gender identity. They had been uncomfortable for years and years and had no idea where to turn. It was just dumb lucky fate that they'd met Owen, who helped them figure it out. That had been when they were 15. Once they got his perspective, it clicked. They stopped trying to fit standards they weren't comfortable with. From there, it really hadn't been too hard to figure out the rest out. Their situation was slightly different than his, of course. They just didn't feel pulled to either extreme of masculinity or feminity. They were just in the middle, not really going either way. And though it took a while, they had become comfortable with that.

Dyna was pretty satisfied with where they were. They had the bag of newspapers slung over their shoulder, and their bike Lucky Brake, which was all they needed. They kept riding, delivering the paper as they went.

Under President Rutilus, the Districts had gotten more freedom of speech, at least within themselves. There was no doubt that everything to be printed was viewed and edited by Peacekeepers, but the little stories about miscellaneous happenings around the District were worth it.

Dyna threw papers onto the front porches of those who had signed up to receive them. They delivered for their neighborhood and the adjacent one, and through that had become very familiar with the people that lived around. Some of those people liked Dyna, but some didn't even care they existed, as long as the paper was delivered.

It had become rhythmic, almost, perfectly routine. Along the way, they would sometimes see people they barely cared for, but tried to just ignore them and go on.

Today was one of those unfortunate days.

First, Owen's parents were home when Dyna had to deliver their paper. Of course. They could barely look at the pair, after all the hell Mr. and Mrs. Zeller had put Owen through after he came out… It was absolutely disgusting.

But, Dyna knew that Ms. La Salle would be mad if they did what they had really wanted to do and thrown the paper in the bushes. They couldn't afford to lose their job, and instead just threw it onto the Zellers' porch and kept pedaling. It wasn't fair that they had to be civil to the people that put Owen through hell, but it was life.

Dyna just kept pedaling, away from there and from those problematic people.

Unfortunately, it didn't get better from there. They passed a couple out walking together, enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. Unfortunately, Jordana noticed them, as they heard the shrill voice of the girl calling after them.

"Better hurry up, Pauper!" she sneered loudly, "Or else you'll be late!"

Dyna seethed, but just kept pedaling. They didn't have time to get into a fight now, and honestly didn't care what Jordana said or thought. She was dating Pierce, who Dyna hated even more than her. Maybe if Pierce had any idea the kind of pain he put Owen through, just _maybe_ he would feel bad. Thinking that way was probably too optimistic, though. He was so set in his ways. He was the biggest reason Owen hated family reunions.

Of Owen's many cousins, Pierce got the prize for being the worst. And that was really saying something, because Owen had some pretty weird cousins. There was the one that hit on Dyna consistently, the one that still picks her nose and eats it, and the one that just can't seem to realize that belts are a thing that exist and would prevent him from practically mooning everyone. Not to mention the girl who always talked out of turn, and only talked in circles. Then you had a couple of stoners, and a couple of rebellious ones that sulked in the corner the entire time. And then there was the pun-maker, who insisted on calling them _Dyna_ saur.

Ugh. If they had a nickel for every time someone thought that was funny, they'd be able to attend University from him alone.

Anyways, even if those cousins were weird or annoying, at least they were all decent human beings. Somehow, Pierce had missed the whole decent human being memo, and he'd found a girl that was just as bad. Dyna had no idea why she hated them so much, though, they'd really been nothing but nice to her. Whatever. Dyna usually preferred to just not think about them. They didn't want to give those two the satisfaction of being thought about.

They continued the job, throwing papers on porches and giving waves to some of the nicer people that were appreciative of what they did. Lucky Brake wheeled down the sidewalk and Dyna felt perfectly content. Maybe they weren't clever like Owen, but they were still successful in their own way.

After that, they reached the house they had grown up in. Like always, Matty ran out to meet them. Matty was the youngest Holburn at 12, and her brown eyes were alight at seeing her sibling approach.

"Dyna! Hi!" she put up her hands, and caught the paper when Dyna threw it.

"Hey!" Dyna called, but they knew that if they stayed any longer, Matty would absolutely chatter their ear off, and they couldn't afford to stop for too long. The 12-year-old waved goodbye to Dyna, promising to tell their father and sister Alyce hello for them.

Dyna hadn't been inside the house in a while, but wanted to stay on good terms with their family. Maybe if their father decided to come home from work early enough to cook, they would come home for dinner.

Lewis Holburn made a mean lasagna, that was just a fact. Dyna's mother Mara always used to joke that she only married him for his cooking, back when she was alive. Dyna preferred to avoid thinking about those long nights in the hospital, leading up to their mother's eventual death. It was a soft spot, and thinking about it would only cause Dyna to distance themself from Owen and their family.

Dyna kept pedaling, smiling at the thought of going home to Owen at the end of the day. They trusted him totally and completely, and could tell him everything that was bothering them. Dyna was grinning by the time they parked their bike at the apartment complex and locked it to the holder.

Dyna entered the complex, greeting the receptionist in the lobby and walking up the nine flights of stairs to the top floor, where their apartment with Owen waited for them. They went inside and their grin widened when they saw Owen there, sitting on the couch.

"Hey!" he said, smiling as he came over to give them a hug.

"Hey babe," Dyna smiled, laughing when Owen nuzzled their neck. He gave them a peck on the nose, smiling, before he drew back and took their hand. "How was the route?"

Dyna sighed and walked to the couch, sitting down and snuggling back into his arms. "I saw the monsters today," they sighed.

"Ouch. Did any of them talk to you?"

"Jordana."

Owen sighed. "I'm sorry for them."

"Babe, it's not your fault that your relatives can't be decent humans. You don't have to apologize."

He laughed. "Yeah, true." He pulled them closer and buried his face in the back of their neck, where he placed warm, gentle kisses. He was so calming, and he made Dyna feel comfortable and safe. They felt valid and content in his arms, and time went by far too quickly when they were together. It was always so hard to say goodbye to him, they just loved him so much.

"What's new with you?" they asked, laying on top of him on their stomach to look into his eyes. "How was work?" The academic year was over for District 5. The two of them had moved in together as soon as they'd graduated. Owen was working in the factories, earning some extra money to help with rent and with a University fund. Dyna knew how much he wanted to go to District 5's University for biology, but they wouldn't know for sure until he got the results of his Academic Scholarship Test and survived his last reaping.

"Ugh, it was just as bad as always. Remember that annoying girl I was telling you about, that one that just can't shut up?"

"Yeah, you mentioned her. What about her?"

"Guess what she was talking about today."

Dyna laughed a little bit. "What?"

"Today she was talking about why she-" he impersonated an obnoxious girl voice- "just can't understand this whole environmental garbage. Like, who cares about some stupid trees and grass? Don't they know that tobacco is a plant? Who cares about any of this nonsense?"

Dyna made a face but almost laughed it was so pitiful. "You're not serious."

"Oh no, she kept going," Owen said, "It was so awful. She was trying to tell us all why smog isn't a bad thing."

"Poor brainwashed beauty," Dyna sighed.

"It's pitiful. But I wish that even if she's going to be disgustingly brainwashed, at least she'd just be quiet." Owen rubbed his temples.

"Well it makes sense that she wouldn't mind wasting oxygen," Dyna teased, and that got Owen's salty pout to dissolve into a grin. Dyna gave him a brief kiss on the lips. "I love your smile."

"You always make me happy," he said, causing Dyna to grin.

"Mm, good."

"Oh, that reminds me, my AST results arrived today."

Dyna jumped off of him in surprise. "What?! And you're just telling me now?! What did they say?"

Owen stood up, crossing the room to the small table on which the couple ate their meals. "I don't know," he said, showing off the mustard-colored envelope with his name and address on it. Dyna was surprised that it said his real name on it, not his dead name. Owen had applied for a name change and an official gender change the day after he had taken the test, which he was forced to fill out with his legal name, his dead name. Dyna was pleasantly surprised that the government test graders had gotten it right, but was more concerned with the contents inside than the name on the envelope, just like Owen was. "I was waiting to open it till you got back."

"Oh, you didn't have to wait…"

"I wanted to. I… Want to share this moment with you. It's… Kind of important. Y'know."

"Of course." Dyna's heart pounded. They could see how nervous Owen was, and felt nervous sympathetically. This would decide the rest of his life… They wanted success for him.

He opened the envelope, hands shaking, and read the letter inside. Dyna was dying to know what it said, and couldn't tell from Owen's expression. When he put the letter down, his hands were shaking. Dyna tried to prepare for the worst, but didn't have time to before he spoke.

"I passed my target. I can go to Uni. I've been accepted for biology."

At his wide grin, Dyna beamed, throwing themself across the room, practically knocking him over in a tight hug. He cried tears of happiness, laughing and crying at the same time. Dyna felt like they could do the same, they were so happy for him.

"Congratulations, Baby," they said, holding him tightly.

"Thanks," he said, laughing through more tears and burying his face in their neck.

"I'm so proud of you Owen."

"I couldn't have made it without you," he said quietly, burying his face in their hair. "Thank you."

"Of course, Baby. I'll be here the whole way."

Owen had stopped crying, but the grin hadn't left his face.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too. So much."

Owen leaned down and kissed Dyna, which they quickly and happily returned. The first kiss was soft and gentle and short, the second was much more passionate and heated. Dyna pulled Owen closer, who kissed their neck and kept his arms tight around their waist.

"Mm, how about a quickie before dinner, University-student-to-be?"

Owen laughed and buried his face in Dyna's neck. "You're funny."

"It sounded sexier in my head."

Owen laughed and scooped up their partner, who squeaked. "Pre-dinner quickie sounds great."

Dyna was still giggling as Owen carried them to the bedroom and dropped them on the bed, before closing and locking the door.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: And we are back! Sorry for the period of delay in updates, life is nuts. I just want to get through these stupid intros so we can get to the good part already! Just three more Districts left, I'm going to do my best to power through them all as fast as I can!**_

 _ **Thanks a bunch to tracelynn and Kate-The-Great: WAIT YOUR NAME IS ROCKAFANSKY NOW FUCK: for Joule and Dyna, respectively! Hope I was able to capture them and give each of them a strong introduction!**_

 _ **Note: Just reiterating, Dyna is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, so please try not to misgender them. Intentional disrespect/hateful comments aren't welcome here.**_

 _ **Thanks for all your support, every review gives me more motivation to write the next chapter and your kind words make me smile!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Thoughts on each? Who did you like better and why? How'd I write your characters?**_

 _ **I will see you all hopefully soon in District 8!**_


	15. District 8: Hot Gossip

-Semper Celandine, 15, District 8-

 _One Year, Five Months before the reaping_

Walking towards Nekoda was like walking towards the fire.

The closer Semper got, the more he could feel the flames lick his skin. A gust of wind would carry the heat to Semper, where he'd feel it brush across his face. Semper had been afraid of the fire, he still was, but he couldn't just not talk to Nekoda anymore.

The other boy had avoided him so long. He hadn't even looked Semper's way since it happened. Semper hated the silent treatment, and refused to keep it up anymore.

He glanced to the corner of the room, where his parents stood. His father had his hands on his mother's waist, and looked reassuring, nodding towards Nekoda. Semper took a deep breath. Maybe seeing his parents there was a little bit unsettling, but Semper was tired of being afraid of it all. Maybe something was wrong with him, but right now he didn't think about it.

He wondered when Alfie would join them. Maybe having the loud, short-tempered Alfie around would be bad for Semper, but he missed his brother and was open to any way to have him closer. In the end Alfie only wanted the best for his siblings, which was ultimately what mattered. That's what he was remembered for.

Nekoda noticed Semper coming closer and quickly looked for a way to escape, but Semper chased after him. Nekoda maneuvered the hall, trying to get to an exit without having to notice or talk to Semper. Semper felt the wind gust just then and watched a spark flurried towards him. His heart pounded with fear, fear of the fire and fear of his once friend. He didn't stop, though. By this point, he would run into the flames just to talk this out with Nekoda. He had nobody else left.

The world around Semper burned, his parents turned to silhouettes within the bright, hot blaze, but Semper kept going. He could feel the smoke in his lungs, and the crackling of embers on his skin.

"Nekoda!" When the other boy exited the school, Semper followed. The natural world helped Semper collect his thoughts. It was the end of the day. The elementary-aged children played and chased each other, the middle-school kids walked in their cliques and gossiped, and those that were able to remain in school long enough to take ASTs walked slowly, stressing out about homework. It was just another normal day. The sky was bright blue, decorated with white, fluffy clouds, and the sun shone, but the wind was cold and the ground glistened with snow.

Semper focused on the snow as he grabbed Nekoda's shoulder, causing the other boy to immediately tense and shove him backwards, where he hit his bottom in a pile of coldness. Semper liked being cold, though, he didn't mind. It gave him at least a moment of relief from the flames.

"What?!" Nekoda asked, irritated. "Can't you see I don't want to talk to you?!"

"Nek…" Semper had no idea what happened to the once outgoing, cheerful, perky boy that had been his best friend. Then again, Semper didn't know what happened to the person he had once been: the boy who had no worries about fire and ghosts, the boy who couldn't figure out which Sabel he wanted to date more, before feeling guilty about it because…

"Can't you see I don't want to talk to you ever again?!" Nekoda's voice got squeaky as more and more hurt washed across his face.

"Why not?" Semper asked. He couldn't understand how Nekoda couldn't see how much Semper needed his best friend right now. They needed each other, and yet he refused to as much as look at Semper.

"Are you _serious_?! Come _on_ , Semper! I know you can use your philosophical little brain, so just use it, okay?! My entire family is dead and it's all your fault!"

"Mine!?" Maybe Semper should have been mad that Nekoda was accusing him, but he just felt hurt. "Nekoda, you really don't think-"

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I!?"

Semper tried to appeal to him with logic. Even though Nekoda was into that, sure he'd be able to see if Semper just laid out the facts. "I was _with_ you when it happened, remember?"

"You took me away from them! I could have saved them if I had been there, or died with them, I could have done something! It's because of whatever hanky-panky you were playing with me that they're all dead and I'm here!"

"Nekoda…"

"You're so easy to play, Semper," the 15-year-old snarled at him. "I thought maybe you were starting to use that logic to stand up to people."

"I was! My parents forbade me from seeing you, and I didn't listen because what we had was more important than whatever stupid family feud our parents were having!" Semper was desperate. He was afraid of confrontation, and with each word sunk further and further away from Nekoda, but he was in too deep now.

"It obviously wasn't considering you set my house-"

"I didn't have anything to do with it!" Semper's eyes filled with tears, desperately wishing Nekoda would let him speak.

"He was your _brother_. You had to have known! He probably spun you around till you were dizzy and you ate whatever he was feeding you. You and your no-good sister, too."

"Alfie didn't plan this, okay, he just did it on a whim! That's the kind of person he was! I wouldn't have known until it was too late, but I didn't know!"

"You don't _understand_ -"

Semper's knees started to quiver as tears poured out of his eyes. "I lost my parents too," he said quietly, voice breaking. The fourteen-year-old didn't look up. "I lost my brother."

"Your brother deserved to die," Nekoda said coldly.

Semper wanted to defend his brother, but he was too afraid of being yelled at even more by Nekoda so he kept his place. "I lost my parents… I haven't stopped thinking about it, please Nekoda-"

"I have no one left! Maybe you have your aunt and uncle, and your sister, guess who isn't lucky enough to have any of that?! Do you understand the hell I've been through!?"

"Of course I do." Semper was speechless. He didn't know what else to say.

"No you don't. I lost my parents and my only sister. Lilla was _thirteen_. She had so much life to live and you stole it away!" He turned around and started to walk away from the sobbing Semper, whose tears made dents in the soft snow below.

Semper was desperate, but didn't expect what he was going to say next until he had said it.

"I loved her."

Nekoda froze, tensing, and turned around. "What?"

Semper sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I loved Lilla." He shook as he reached up to wipe his eyes.

Nekoda stood frozen, staring at him, as the words sunk in. He quivered as a gust of cold wind made Semper shiver. Neither of them spoke, but Semper was afraid of what he would say next.

He was surprised when Nekoda hung his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I never had a chance then, did I?" he choked out, his face burning red.

Semper's heart sunk. He felt horrible, and he had no idea what to say to him. He couldn't put his words together fast enough. All he could do was whisper a small, weak, "I'm sorry."

Nekoda kicked snow up in the air, his face contorting into a pained, angry expression through tears. Semper had no idea what to say or do, and he didn't know what Nekoda was going to do to him. He was scared, and backed away slowly. Luckily for him, Nekoda gave him one last glance before turning around and running away as fast as he possibly could.

Semper figured that he would be going back to the Community home, where he lived now. He wasn't lucky enough to have an Aunt and Uncle that would take him like Semper and Paisley did.

Semper walked home slowly. Soon, though, he found that his feet weren't taking him to his Aunt and Uncle's house, but instead to his childhood home. He didn't stop them from carrying him there. He just needed some time to think through things, figure out what emotions he was feeling, and from there he could try to figure out how to express them outwardly. Nekoda's words stung, though. Semper knew he was soft-spoken, but really thought he was getting better. He thought that Nekoda had seen the potential in him. Apparently he was just being silly, as Nekoda seemed to think he'd never change. There was nothing more disheartening than hearing Nekoda tell him that all they'd worked towards was in vain.

Semper wanted to become more independent and stronger in his beliefs, if he could just do that maybe he could aim for University or something, but… After this happened, it was so hard to even go to school. His parents were in the corner of every room he would ever be in. The fire would be big some days, small others, but it was never fully extinguished. By now, Semper was sure it never would be. It had been a couple months since the Sabel's house went up in flames. It had all been Alfie, who had been killed alongside their parents, who were also blamed. Semper and Paisley were lucky they weren't in the house, or else they could have died too. Semper wasn't quite sure if lucky was the right word.

 _Well, it worked,_ Semper thought bitterly. _You got Nekoda and I to stop hanging out like Mom and Dad wanted._

He knew that under the layer of white snow was the layer of black ashes, to be carried away from the wind and never seen again.

The house in which Semper grew up was right next to it, still standing. It had only been abandoned for a couple of months, so it still looked pretty much like it had last time Semper had seen it. Semper figured that eventually someone would come across it and make a home there, but until then, he was free to go inside. He toured the house, not stopping to sit and rest until he reached his old bedroom upstairs, which was just as he remembered it, not a single Knick-knack out of place.

The nostalgia was painful, more so than Semper would have thought it to be. He wished he were like Nekoda, more open about his emotions, better at articulating what he was feeling, but he just couldn't connect the wires well enough to illuminate the lightbulb. Really, crying in front of Nekoda was something Semper wouldn't have been able to do any other time. He was just so overwhelmed with the heavy feeling of misery that he couldn't think of anything else. Now, he was back to thinking about schoolwork and family, about the figures that were standing in the doorway and silently watching him, the fire….

The fire. When Semper looked up again, he saw it, bigger and brighter than ever. It looked and felt so real that even if Semper tried to rationalize that it wasn't real, his mind wouldn't be convinced. There were clouds of black smoke that rose from the fire. It approached him, eating everything up in a blaze of orange light, including the figures of his parents again, just like always. He could feel it against his skin, stinging and burning and blazing.

He had to get out of there. He noticed the window and knew what he had to do. He threw the window up and jumped through it, tumbling to the ground and landing hard. He didn't think about his throbbing arm, he just needed to get away. He scrambled back from the house. It wasn't burning, nor had it ever been, but Semper got the message. He wouldn't come back there again.

He managed to get up to his feet before he turned around and sprinted away from there as fast as he possibly could, leaving his parents and brother to burn in the flames, just like the Sabels had on that fateful night.

* * *

-Ester Perliam, 16, District 8-

 _One Month before the reaping_

Ester had nothing.

Stupid Grapevine Girl hadn't given her anything that Ester didn't already know, and it was getting to be crunch time here! The Shoemaker Chronicle released new issues once a week on Wednesdays, which meant that all articles needed to be turned in by Tuesday evening at the very latest so that Caulfield can compile everything and format it for the papers to be printed.

The school had just had a big school dance, so the past few articles Ester wrote were juicy to the very core. Calico had asked Violet out, but she rejected him, meanwhile Luella and Benji hadn't gone to the dance, but Barbara told Ester she saw the two of them going to Luella's house together.

Then, of course, there was Paul Orland. He was just so easy to write about. He didn't go to the dance at all. When Barbara, AKA Grapevine Girl, had asked him about it, he said it was because he needed to study. But Ester was sure that it was just because his pathetic little bottom just couldn't find a date. Maybe it was his diabetes that turned girls away. That was one of his biggest weak spots, and Ester liked to press on it because that's what her readers liked. They ate up everything she wrote about, even if she had to construct some drama herself.

Ester was sure that she'd have plenty to write about after the dance, so she didn't do too much meddling, but she was now regretting that decision. She knew she'd have to find something to write about that would pull people in, but she had nothing.

She was sure that Barbara had gotten _something_ , but she'd proven herself absolutely useless. Now Ester was out of ideas, and she had to come up with some really good, really quick.

Her eyes were open at school on Tuesday. Time was running out, she had to come up with something quick. She could always write about Luenji again, but they were boring and prudish. All they did was just hold hands and walk together and be affectionate. It was worth a mention, but not worth a whole article!

Ester barely paid attention in math, instead looking at each of the students and trying to decide which of them she would pick the brain of next. Ester was starting to get worried, but she knew that she could do it. The perfect story always came to her in the end, which was really what mattered. It was what kept her this job.

Alright, so it wasn't really a job. It was a hobby. But writing for the school paper was more than just a hobby, it was like an unpaid job. Ester had been selected as a freshman to write for the paper, an honor that is somewhat rare, especially in a bigger school like Shoemaker Academy.

Ester did her schoolwork, but barely retained any of the information the teacher was saying. Instead she studied each of her classmates, wondering which ones might possibly be malleable enough to swindle some information out of. Ester was confident she could do it, she was quite friendly, and good at choosing people.

She saw Paul and thought about all the gossip he'd just spill when he was too focused on his work to realize who he was talking to. It was a little bit depressing that he never really seemed bothered by what Ester published about him, saying that he'd be out of this sorry District and find a home in District 3 someday. Didn't change the fact that he was a weirdo with diabetes.

She had to wonder if there was a University program for writing. Ester hadn't looked much into University even though she was fairly fortunate, as she thought it was mostly for science and math nerds. All she really knew about University is what she'd heard from Upward Voyager interviews. If there was a journalism program, Ester would so be there. She loved being a journalist, and most everyone was satisfied with her stories.

The hypocrisy of her classmates was amazing. The same people that loved her article last week got all butthurt when the next article was about them. Ester was pretty good at staying positive and shaking off the haters, which is what she did best. If they didn't want articles about them, maybe they should have thought of the column first and written it.

She kept writing until an idea came to her. Of course! She had no idea how she didn't think about this sooner! In the chaos of the dance, a quality story had totally slipped under her nose. Now, though, she was going to get every detail.

Last year, there had been budget cuts to community homes, forcing many of them to consolidate. That gave Shoemaker Academy an influx of new students. Ester had been getting to know each one and wrote stories about each of them. Of course, there was the basic stuff, but she dug deeper. She exposed some secrets about the dark stories of their pasts, which the readers had eaten up. She thought she had hit everyone, but realized that she hadn't. She only had a few more, but was waiting until after the dance. She had totally forgotten until she saw the boy in her class.

She had to get his story. What was his name again? Oh, right, Nekoda. Nekoda Sabel. She would get all of the details on him for her next big story. She just had to get him to spill, but that wouldn't be too hard.

As soon as class was dismissed, Ester threw her stuff into her backpack, calling out to and chasing after her target until he couldn't escape her anymore.

.

Ester was in for a treat. As soon as she got the article done, her father came in the door, keys in his hand.

"Ester!" Poly waved to his daughter, who quickly ran over and gave him a hug.

"Hi Dad!" she said cheerfully, letting go to grin up at him, knowing the next sentence that would come out of his mouth.

"I have a delivery to make, want to come along?"

"Of course!" Ester collected the papers she had. "First, can we make a quick detour to deliver this story? Caulfield's got such a stick up his butt that I've gotta get this stuff there before he blows a gasket at me."

"Caulfield as in, the one who was kissing Aubria behind the school?"

"No, that was his brother. This is the bisexual Caulfield. He's going to District Five next year because he's not smart enough to go to Three."

"Oh, I see. Well, we can stop, but we should make it fast. I already made a detour to come here, and that sky isn't promising." Poly and Ester walked out to the van.

"What are we delivering?" she asked, as she got into the driver's seat and fastened her seatbelt. "More Uniforms to Clifton?" She liked to drive to the Head Peacekeeper's house, as it wasn't too far from the wealthier part of the District in which Ester lived.

"No, this is very important cargo. It's all Hunger Games. It needs to go straight to the station."

"All Hunger Games!?" she asked. "Don't the Capitolites style for their individual tributes?!"

"They do. There's a lot of differently-patterned fabric here to choose from for District outfits. There are also a couple of suits and dresses in there, those will be donned by the Head Honchos themselves for the Games party."

"So they're really going to party before sending the tributes to the Arena?"

"They are very serious about the idea. I'm sure the tributes will get dressed up too. It's important, though. There's a suit in there for Lux Hastings, a dress made from hand-embroidered fabric for Miss Wallace, and a matching music suit for Piccolo, as well as a dress for another option."

"Oh yeah, right. Huh." Ester turned on the van and started driving to Caufield's place. As she drove, Poly gave her advice on how to maneuver the giant van full of stuff.

By the time they reached the house, Ester had to put her precious article under her jacket to keep it from getting wet from the rain. Caulfield, as Ester was expecting, wasn't too thrilled at the lateness of it, but was glad it was there all the same. Caulfield hadn't taken Ester seriously until she did a spread about him being bi, and that put him in his place real quick. Still one of her most successful articles.

By the time Ester got back in the van, the rain had picked up substantially.

"Maybe you should drive," she said.

"It's only supposed to get worse tonight. It's about an hour away… I think we should just go home, don't you?"

Ester grinned. "Only if I can look at the outfits."

Poly laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair, causing her to protest. "Sure you can, Sweetpea."

Ester beamed as she drove home.

.

Ester had a lot of fun looking at the different outfits for the Capitolites and the fabrics for the tribute outfits. She found the good (some really pretty navy blue fabric that was soft and silky and she would die to wear, royal purple tulle, thin, silky silver fabric that shimmered like metal), the bad (Pink sequiny fabric and red fabric with feathers that shed all over the floor), and the ugly (a sky blue fabric striped with red buttons, and fabric the same color as vomit).

She left everything just as she had found it, as she was used to, and wondered if maybe she couldn't throw in a blurb predicting the big trends in the Capitol. She knew that she could probably get in trouble for that, and didn't want to do anything to threaten her status, so she let it go. She could live with the knowledge that she was the only one besides her father and the creators that knew what the garments and fabrics looked like.

She trusted the Capitolites to turn the fabrics into amazing things. Ester almost envied the tributes that got to wear such exquisite fabrics designed by such modern fashionistas. Almost, of course. Do you have any idea how much being reaped would dent a reputation?

Ester tried to envision outfits that might be made out of the fabrics. Some of them were soft, and some, like the golden glitter and the sequins, were not comfortable at all. Ester would have paid for just a skirt made out of that beautiful purple tulle. Even just to try it on (and take a picture in it, of course. But only with unlimited retakes, because the thought of a bad picture of her on record was disastrous). Maybe it would be used to give District 4 a mermaid look? Or maybe some lucky girl from Ester's District would wear it as a representative of textiles. The possibilities were endless. The creativity and curiosity of it all was like an itch.

She admired each one, her father watching closely to make sure nothing happened to them. There were so many of them, but Ester could have spent hours just admiring them. The dresses and suits were perfect, with not a stitch out of place. Lux's was a shiny green, but in the light it looked blue, and under differently-colored lights it was bound to be multicolored based on how he moved, many of them the same tones that were in his hair. The dress for Viola was tailored specifically for her, made of cream-colored fabric with delicately-stitched music notes on it. The back was a corset that flowed so well with the staves and notes and other markings that Ester didn't understand. Piccolo's suit was slightly less impressive than Lux's because it didn't change color, but it the same color as Viola's dress with the same music notes on, as well as gold embellishments on the edges and shoulders. The dress, Ester liked better because it was much less boring, flirty and fun with gold lining the top of the sweetheart neckline and on the bottom of the skirt, which was flared and totally black, only the top of the dress decorated with the music. In the back was tied a big black bow. Ester wasn't a music person, but she still found it adorable.

"Can I ride with you when you deliver these tomorrow?"

Poly grinned and ruffled her hair. "If your Mom says yes, of course. I love to have my Ester riding along with me!"

"Cool!" Ester beamed at him as she shut the van door and her father locked it. The rain had stopped, but now it was too dark and late to deliver. Ester felt too energetic to go to bed, but her mother had sent her there after giving her permission to leave school early to make the delivery with Poly, and Ester didn't want to put that in jeopardy.

Ester closed her eyes, feeling a smile spread across her face. Tomorrow, everyone would bask in the dirt she had on Nekoda, and then she'd get to go on a drive to the Station with her father. Today may have been great, but tomorrow would only be better.

Just one thought haunted her mind, though. She tried to keep it away, but the longer she stayed awake, the longer it stayed.

 _What if I have to go to the station and wear the dresses after being reaped? What if I have to go into the Hunger Games?_

She tried to push the thoughts away as she drifted off to sleep.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Hello, I didn't expect to get this chapter out in a day! Honestly, these tributes were so easy to write that it just… Kind of happened. Which is great! Only two more chapters of intros before the ball can get rolling!**_

 _ **Thank you to AKLNxStories and DaughterOfTigris for Semper and Ester respectively! I hope I was able to write them well! Both of them were easy to write which makes me happy because the 8 tributes in Silhouettes were… Tricky, let's just say.**_

 _ **Thanks for all the reviews and support! I'm so close to 200, wow! That's seriously awesome! Maybe we'll reach 200 before the end of intros, which would be… Nuts! But good nuts!**_

 _ **Other than that, nothing new to report. I have a couple days left of spring break, so maybe I'll be able to crank out one more update before classes start? That's a big hopeful though, but maybe I'll at least get half an update done before classes go back into full swing.**_

 _ **Also, just a reminder that the blog for this story is up and the tributes, mentors, and escorts are all up on it! It's called: just-let-lux-eat-pastries . blogspot . com**_

 _ **Sidenote: I was totally going to write the article that Ester wrote about Nekoda, but totally ran out of words! :O But if it's something you'd like to see, let me know and maybe I'll post it on the blog or something!**_

 _ **Have a lovely night!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Thoughts on each, who'd you like better and why, how'd I do?**_


	16. District 6: Endless Possibilities

-Rigley Fidler, 18, District 6-

 _Four Months before the reaping_

This was the last place Riggs wanted to be in that moment.

Ugh, it was so _boring_. Riggs just couldn't pay attention as Mordecai went on and on and _on._ Man. It sucked that he had to sit here and listen to this when he could be literally anywhere else do literally _anything_ else.

Riggs tried to pay attention in school, but usually he just couldn't. He hated having to sit still, it was something he just physically could not do, no matter how hard he tried. Riggs just didn't get how other people didn't seem to understand that. There was no way he could "try harder," as if that could solve anything. He _was_ trying, but nobody thought he was because he kept failing. He just didn't understand how his classmates had the self-control to sit still and listen. Maybe he was messed up or something, but he just couldn't do the same.

Riggs was sick and tired of hearing the same stupid damn speech over and over again, about University being important and "look at Stellan Jansing, he was a nobody before he went to District 3, Gian Mariani is so smart and talented, blah blah blah," and how much stupid potential he had "if you would just try harder." Hearing it over and over again wasn't going to fix anything. It was incredibly frustrating for Riggs, who could care less about more boring school: but this time, it costed _money_.

If there was one thing the eighteen-year-old absolutely despised, it was failing. He hated to fail. He hated to be surrounded by people that were successful, while he could barely stay afloat. He had two choices: continue trying with everything he had for nothing but a big fat C, or just.. Stop caring. And he had chosen the latter. It was amazing how much happier he was when he just stopped giving a damn about school.

But, now he was here. His parents and teacher had so wanted him to seek extra help, and considering it was Riggs's senior year, he wanted to at least graduate high school. So, he was back here, with Mordecai, who just wouldn't stop.

 _Didn't he notice I stopped paying attention, like, a million years ago?_ was just one of the many thoughts Riggs had while Mordecai kept explaining whatever it was he was doing. He bounced his legs and tapped his fingers on them as his mind wandered from school to the next big stunt he and Torrin were going to pull to the accidental (but not unwelcome) glimpse of Gian Mariani's ass he'd gotten from an underwear ad in a magazine to the party YES THE PARTY OH GOD HE HAD OTALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT BUT DAMN IT WAS GOING TO ROCK-

"Riggs? Are you following?"

Riggs blinked, having been dragged back down to reality. "Oh, yes. Sorry."

Mordecai didn't look like he believed him, but just sighed. "Alright, if you were following then you should be able to do the first problem. Just remember the steps I talked about. What was first?"

Riggs thought, but he couldn't pick anything out of his brain. "I don't know."

Mordecai sighed. "Riggs…"

His first instinct was to respond with anger. "No, stop right there!" he said, irritated. Mordecai looked slightly shocked, which brought Riggs back down to reality, and the anger was replaced by a tidal wave of discouragement, sadness even. How Riggs hated having his ego bruised. He swallowed hard. "Can you explain it again? Please. Maybe this time in smaller chunks?"

"Oh. Um, yeah, sure." Mordecai started again, and this time Riggs really tried to pay attention. He couldn't stop his leg from bouncing, or his wrist from tapping his pencil against the table, but he tried his best. After a couple times through, Riggs scribbled down the first step, and this tantalizingly slow and boring process continued until Riggs finally circled an answer for the third problem. He didn't truly understand it, he had just said that he did because he didn't want Mordecai to explain this a sixth time. He just wrote what Mordecai told him to. Mordecai may have been bright, the son of Riggs's teacher, (who was making him do this in the first place), but he was not a specialist. He alone would never be able to get into Riggs's head. It seemed that nobody in this stupid crackhead District could.

"See? That wasn't so bad." The lie wasn't very convincing. What Mordecai had over Riggs in terms of schoolwork, Riggs had over Mordecai in social skills.

"Sure," Riggs said, staring at the clock. They still had two minutes left, but Riggs was done. He started packing his stuff up. Mordecai was used to this behavior, and instead of trying to stop Riggs, just looked mildly disappointed.

"You aren't going to get your grades up if you keep packing up early and cutting corners."

"I just want to pass," Riggs sighed. "I don't care about high grades, and I don't care about Uni, and I don't care about any of that."

"What will you do with your future then? You don't want to end up strung on drugs just because you didn't go on to more schooling."

"I'm not going to start doing drugs, God Mordecai. I'll find something useful to do that doesn't require more school."

"Like…?"

"I don't know! You think I plan out my future like a rigid gray rulebook? No. I don't."

"So what, you're just going to play it by ear?"

"Yes. I am. Planning is boring and dumb. I'm a flexible guy, whatever is thrown my way, I'll be fine. Going with the flow. You don't have to go to Uni to get a factory job. I'll be fine."

"Alright… If you say." Mordecai was genuinely concerned for him, and Riggs liked the guy, but they really just didn't understand each other.

"I do say." Riggs collected his stuff, his excitement for the events of the afternoon-into-evening coming back full force. "Have a good evening, kid." Riggs flicked him under the chin, causing Mordecai to squeak in surprise as Riggs turned around and left, grinning to himself.

 _Yep, even if I'm dumb as a pole, I've still got the magic touch._

.

Riggs was crouched behind the couch in the dark room. He had done a lot of work into putting this little shindig together, and now it was finally going to happen!

He had invited a bunch of people and was surprised by just how many would show up at the promise of free beer. His little brothers, Cullen and Maxen, were also in attendance. Riggs was surprised they even showed up, considering they were both so studious and the type to study rather than party.

Maybe they had seen just how much Riggs wanted them to be there. Or maybe they just figured that they wouldn't get any studying done anyways with a big bash happening at the same time. Either way, Riggs was glad they were there, and hopeful that they would stay and maybe have some real fun instead of hiding and studying all the time. Sure, he respected that they wanted to aim for Uni in Five or even God's District, Three, but he thought they were far too uptight. This was the perfect opportunity for some fun.

The door opened and the lights clicked on, and everyone yelled "SURPRISE!"

Neeka shrieked a little bit, definitely surprised. Her eyes were wide as she scaled the crowd, but soon a large smile broke across her face. Riggs was the first to give his best friend a big happy birthday bear hug. Neeka grinned from ear to ear as she thanked everyone for coming and affirmed that yes, she was definitely surprised.

She was wearing a black crop top and a plaid miniskirt, one of Riggs's favorites. He had implied that they were going to have another of their friendly hookups to get her to his house for the surprise. Besides, she looked like a queen, and it was her birthday. Maybe she could aim for one of the jocks this time.

The party began pretty innocent, with the cutting of cake and some quiet music. Cullen and Maxen stayed for that, chatting up some girls their age that looked to be best friends. _The joy of having a twin,_ Riggs thought. A lot of the time, he just didn't understand their relationship. The sibling bond between twins was just something special and unique that they had, and Riggs didn't. He tried not to dwell on that too long, though, it was too sad.

Soon, the music was turned up and some cases were brought out. The girls who were talking to the twins both got drinks, but Cullen and Maxen weren't sold on them. Neeka and Riggs went over together. He let her go first, as it was the gentlemanly thing to do, but he couldn't help getting a nice view of her cute little ass as she went. She was definitely swaying her hips purposefully.

Soon, a makeshift dance floor had formed, as groups of teens grinding against each other started to take shape. Riggs spotted Torrin in the crowd of dancers, holding the hips of a really pretty girl. Torrin was another of Riggs's closest friends. The black-haired boy was just as fun-loving as Riggs, and together the two of them probably should have died at least five or six times. It was the life of a daredevil. Riggs couldn't be chained down, and that's how he liked it. Who knew what the future held? Who _cared_?

"Thanks for this! You totally got me!" Neeka said, grinning up at Riggs.

"Any time," he said, providing a flirty, heartbreaker smirk and flicking her under the chin.

"You dork," she said, flicking his arm, but they were both laughing.

"You wanna dance?" Riggs asked, and Neeka quickly agreed. The two of them took the floor together. Riggs wasn't intending on getting flat-out drunk, but a little tipsy was never a problem. Neeka felt good against him and he liked holding her there. He didn't feel too bad when she approached another guy, though. Riggs was pretty used to having pretty much whoever he wanted. Finding a new partner would be easy as pie.

"Hey man!" Torrin broke through the crowd to get to him.

"Hey," Riggs said, "How's it going?"

"Good, good!" Torrin grinned. "Nice work on all this. It really came together."

"I have no idea how she didn't find out about it. There were a few times I was sure I was going to burst and tell her!"

"Well, it worked out. Good job, buddy. I think she's having a good time." He laughed as he watched her work her magic on the guy she'd been eyeing up.

Riggs grinned and fist-bumped his friend. "I think so too."

"You good for the tracks tomorrow?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, you know it!" Riggs never said no to a challenge.

They were interrupted by some girls who offered a game of spin the bottle. Both of them agreed and sat down in the ever-growing circle.

The first time the landed on him, Riggs got to kiss a giggly blonde girl with bright blue eyes. The second time, he got a quick peck on the lips from a shy brunette. Torrin spun and got to kiss the brunette, who got quite red. Soon, Riggs got to spin for himself. He secretly hoped it would land on the blonde again, but the result he got was far better.

"Parker!" the girls giggled. They were definitely tipsy, as was the aforementioned jock, who was usually very adamant about his straightness.

"Oh, come on, you guys wouldn't really don't want me-"

"Just a quick kiss baby," Riggs teased, pleased at how Parker flushed. Riggs loved doing this. He was naturally such a good flirt. Neeka always teased that parties and stunts just kept inflating Riggs's already ginormous ego, but everyone involved was having a good time, so what did it matter?

Riggs and Parker met halfway, in a kiss that was far too heated and deep for it to have even been remotely straight. The smirk was plastered onto his face now as the girls and Torrin _"Ooooo!"_ ed and giggled tipsily.

 _I still got it,_ Riggs thought contently.

 _Whatever the future brings, I'll just tackle it head on. I'm me, after all. The possibilities are endless._

* * *

-Desiree Menghiasi, 15, District 6-

 _Two Months before the Reaping_

Aimee looked so peaceful when she was painting.

The feeling was easy to understand, really, as Desiree also felt it. Or, well, about as peaceful as she could be when she was on the lookout for Peacekeepers.

For the big stuff, the more urban buildings, the places a lot of people would actually see, Desiree would definitely plan. She and Aimee would each take turns visiting the area at different times on different days, looking out for Peacekeepers and anyone else who looked like they would report them. It would take time, as they didn't want to look too suspicious. The Peacekeepers definitely wouldn't have been fooled by the cute young girl act, and both of them knew it. They were harsh on everyone, no matter how old or young they were.

Now, though, they were in a pretty barren part of town, one that was older and more dilapidated than the newly renovated attempt at sobering up the drug-laced zombies and putting fires under their trippy little asses. Maybe they should have planned, but in all honesty Desiree was just too lazy to do it. The process was so long and tedious and strategic, it was exhausting. This was pretty low-risk, who needed planning?

The yellow and orange bandana that was sometimes seen covering her hair was now covering her nose as the fumes of the paint would have surely made her just as high and useless as any of the other inhabitants of the District. Not that she judged them. Without art and the ability to make it, maybe she would have been just like them.

When she looked at her girlfriend, Desiree's mind couldn't help but float away into a daydream. She and Aimee both influenced each other, but only in the best ways. Aimee was very outspoken, and from her Desiree had learned to assert herself when necessary. It usually wasn't necessary, but sometimes when people were bullying her or her brother, or worse, when those pesky dealers tried to butter her up, Desiree needed to do some ass-kicking.

It was such a shame that everyone felt the need to torment Johann just because he couldn't hear. If only they actually tried to talk to him. Then they would know the amazing, intelligent boy and capable older brother that he was. He had been a constant through everything, and was probably Desiree's best friend. She couldn't believe that people would be so narrow-minded as to not even give him a chance.

In return, Desiree had given the harsh, severe tomboy some appreciation for the soft. Desiree herself was far from soft, but compared to who Aimee used to be, she might as well have been one of those fancy Capitol marshmallow bunnies she saw on TV. Now, they were both much more balanced.

Desiree smiled affectionately at Aimee, who was making a piece colored with rainbow, that was all she knew so far. Aimee said it was going to be great, and Desiree knew she was right. Her girlfriend was an adamant fighter for LGBT+ people, while Desiree preferred to illustrate stories from her own life, more general than focusing on just one specific aspect of herself. Now, though, Desiree was far too lazy to even plan what she wanted to do, and was trying to get inspiration to make something that wasn't as stupid as a dick or those uninspired bubble letters.

"You okay babe?" Aimee asked, glancing away from her work and noticing that Desiree hasn't touched any of the paints they brought with them.

"Huh? Oh, I'm great. Just looking for inspiration, that's all." Desiree never considered herself to be a threat or a treasonous artist. There was that big stink that happened right after she'd gone out for the first time about someone who was painting dangerous anti-Capitol symbols. Tuck Carver, was his name, he was taken into custody and hadn't been heard from since. Maybe he was a prisoner, maybe he was dead, but he'd certainly learned his lesson. Desiree was horrified for a while that she would suffer the same fate. She eventually realized that she was just fine. Sure, she painted from her struggles, from bullying she had faced for her shortness, for her light brown skin and narrow eyes, or for her relationship with Aimee. But that was nothing compared to outright rebelliousness. Flat-out treason.

That being said, it was still illegal. Sometimes Desiree forgot that. Those had been some close calls, that was for sure. Desiree didn't want to go to prison, she heard it was not a good place. Besides, she belonged back home with her family.

She had no idea what would happen to her grandparents and brother if she were arrested. They'd survive, of course, just as they had when Desiree's mother died and her father left the kids with their grandparents, they would make it work. But… It was too hard of a thought, being away from them. Ultimately, Desiree was loyal to them above pretty much everyone else, after all. As rough as her exterior was, she still loved deeply and loyally.

The benefits of doing this, though, the pride and effort, the outlet of emotions, the quality time with a great girl, outweighed the risks for Desiree and Aimee. If good went to worse, Desiree was pretty crafty. She'd gotten them out of trouble multiple times before from some impulsive, quick-thinking camouflage. And, if worse came to worst, they were fast runners.

"How do you think it looks so far?" Aimee asked, hopping down from the dumpster she had been standing on to get a better view.

"It's great, Baby," Desiree said. She couldn't exactly tell what it was supposed to be yet, but she didn't ask. She would figure it out in time. Aimee's style was so different from Desiree's that it took a while for the two of them to really understand each other, and neither of them had fully clicked with the other. Not quite yet.

It didn't help that each of them was still trying to develop her style into something more mature, each learning new tricks of the trade and experimenting. They'd figure it out, of course, they still had plenty of time. That was the great thing about being young, after all. Even if they didn't have all the answers, they weren't alone in trying to figure them out. And they would find them someday.

Aimee lit up like the sun, giving Desiree a big grin. "Thanks."

Desiree studied her face in that moment, the pride that brightened up her eyes, the grin that made Desiree smile. She knew exactly what she wanted to paint and when Aimee got back to work, Desiree began painting as well.

Both of the girls got lost in their work, being carried away by the colors and the calming, almost rhythmic strokes, each of them bringing them one step closer to finishing. Every once in a while, one of them would step back to examine their work, prompting the other to do the same, looking at the two pieces on the wall and giving each other some encouragement.

Desiree wasn't sure that the face she was working on really looked like Aimee, but tried to stay optimistic. She would figure out what was bothering her about it if she just gave it some time. Something, some kind of revelation would come to her, it always did.

Unfortunately, though, it appeared as if work would have to end early. Desiree and Aimee heard the familiar steps of Peacekeepers, and before Desiree could even think to hide, they spotted the girls.

"Hey! Stop right there!" boomed a woman's voice, but the girls had no intention of staying long enough to try and explain themselves. Desiree knew bits and pieces of multiple languages, but she knew that not even the most fiery, revenge-seeking sweet-talker in the almighty intelligent District 3 would be able to get them totally off the hook.

Desiree and Aimee took off running, and the Peacekeepers followed them a good distance before they ultimately decided that two teenage graffiti artists weren't worth all the effort and turned back.

Both of them panted as they collapsed on the ground, looking around. The sun was starting to set, a breeze making Desiree suddenly cold.

"Do you know where we are?" Desiree asked, looking around as she caught her breath. They were officially in a part of the District that Desiree didn't even remotely recognize. The time of the Peacekeepers chasing them had meshed together, but it must have been at least twenty minutes.

"I'm not sure," Aimee said, looking puzzled and slightly on-edge. "It's starting to get dark."

"Hey, no worries. We can't be too far away from where we started." Desiree reached out and squeezed her girlfriend's hands. "We'll get back home before it gets too late."

"I hope so…"

Desiree gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry. We're together, and that means we're unstoppable, right? The possibilities are endless for us, remember?"

Aimee gave a brief laugh, which immediately released some of the tension in Desiree's chest. There was no one else she would rather be lost with. "I love it when you sign," she said quietly, her harsh gaze now affectionate and as soft as someone like Aimee can look.

"Huh? Oh… Yeah. It's just kind of a habit now, it's so natural. I mean, I've been learning ever since I was a baby. I can't just… _Stop sign_." Desiree cracked up at her own joke, snorting. She really did tickle herself, even if nobody else got it. "Get it? Like a stop sign, but… Ahaha, that was a good one, no?"

Aimee laughed. "You don't have to explain yourself, darling. And… You really don't have to make puns." _Especially bad ones_ was her next thought, but Aimee knew that Desiree loved her unfunny jokes and liked to see her happy so she didn't say anything. "I just like it, that's all. It really is natural, and it's pretty. Everything about you is pretty."

Desiree could feel a hot blush crawl across her cheeks, and for once actually felt thankful for the cool breeze and the dimness of dusk. "Thanks. You too."

Aimee laughed as she stood up, and soon Desiree felt the warmth of her girlfriend's hand as their fingers interlaced. "I'm pretty sure we came from that way," she said, pointing. Desiree hadn't really been paying attention, but she was pretty sure Aimee was right.

"Sure," she said, as Aimee picked up the case that had the paints in it. Then, the two girls started to walk, trying to make sense of where they were. They were quiet for the walk, both of them exhausted from running and just enjoying having the other near.

 _Stop sign,_ Desiree thought, and tried not to start giggling about it again. That would ruin the calm, peaceful moment they were having. She held it in, but couldn't help but give herself a pat on the back for that one. She was pretty funny, she had to admit.

Once the darkness had settled, though, Desiree started to feel nervous. It was hard to see without the light of the moon to guide them, and only about half of the streetlamps worked anyways. Desiree couldn't help imagining terrible people trying to fight the girls, or corner them before they could run away. She just tried to stay optimistic about it, or as optimistic as she could. They were together, and together they could do anything. Aimee's presence reassured Desiree a ton, but when the recognized the gate to the Victor's Village, Desiree could have cried from relief. Even if they were still about twenty minutes from home, at least they knew where they were now.

She noticed the silhouette of District 6's newest Victor Gian sitting up on the small wall by the gate, and saw the small flame of a lighter, but Desiree and Aimee kept walking and didn't approach him. Now that she knew where she was, Desiree walked slower, wanting to enjoy every second she possibly could with Aimee before the two girls would have to say good night.

They reached Desiree's house far too soon, and while Desiree was relieved to be home in one piece, she was sorry to say goodbye to Aimee.

"Thanks for today," Aimee said, laughing. "We had an adventure."

"That's one way of looking at it," Desiree teased, and Aimee grinned at her.

"Next time we'll make a plan. I really wanted to finish that piece."

"We'll get to finish our stuff. We just need to find the right time," Desiree promised.

"Of course." Aimee gave Desiree one more soft kiss before she let go of her hand and waved goodbye.

"Night hun," Desiree said.

"Sleep tight!" Aimee called, before turning around and starting for home.

 _The cheeks are too fat,_ Desiree thought. _That's what's wrong with the mural._ Now she was really itching to get back there and try to fix her mistake. Oh, the life of the artist, not realizing that one detail that puts everything into perspective until it was too late! She'd get back there, though. She had time.

She went into her house, knowing that she would dream about fixing that painting with her muse beside her some other smoggy District 6 day.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Eyyyy one more intro chapter left! Poor District 7 submitters have certainly had a wait. Thanks for sticking with me, I can't wait for this story to really get moving.**_

 _ **Thanks a bunch to Dreamer and Platrium for Riggs and Desiree respectively! They were both a joy to write and I can't wait to continue developing them as the story goes!**_

 _ **So, I'll be asking questions about the favorite tributes next chapter, so I'll ask this on this chapter: What do you guys think of the intros? Did you like the scenes I chose and did you think they made sense? Did they give good impressions of the characters in your opinion? Did you prefer them to reapings? Any feedback will help me if and when I write another SYOT in the future, after this one is finished. This isn't part of the CQ so you don't get extra points for answering it, but I want your feedback!**_

 _ **Other than that, not much new news to report. Thanks for 200 reviews y'all! I'm so appreciative of all your support!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as the past ones. What'd you think of each, which did you like better and why, how'd I do?**_


	17. District 7: Work and Payoff

-Syca Gallen, 15, District 7-

 _Two Weeks before the reaping_

Syca decided that day that it was much easier to work with his hair tied back.

It was almost to his shoulders now, and though he had been reluctant about borrowing a hair tie from his sister, she had eventually badgered him enough that he agreed, just to get her off of his tail. He probably looked ridiculous, but having the hair up off of his neck made all the difference in the hot summer sun, cutting trees and loading logs into trucks.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he looked ridiculous, though. He usually felt awkward, and was extremely conscious about what other people thought of him. He wondered if Helio was laughing at him inside his head, or thinking that he looked like a girl, or-

"Hey, earth to Loghead!" Helio said, his voice playful and teasing. Syca gave his friend a smile, feeling more reassured that not everyone was constantly scrutinizing him like he always did to himself. Syca carried a load of logs, following Helio and dropping them into the bed of the truck that would take them who knows where. Syca stopped to wipe some sweat from his forehead. The sun was absolutely relentless, and he knew that he would wake up tomorrow with irritated, red, peeling skin. It would be worth it, or hopefully it would.

"Sorry man," Syca said, as the two of them went to collect another load.

"No problem. You just seemed a little bit out of it, that's all. Gotta make sure you're alright and not having hot flashes." He gave another grin, and Syca returned it.

"Hot flashes? What, do you think I'm an old man?"

"What, haven't started menopause yet? I started yesterday."

Syca, as he usually did at the mention of anything feminine, especially something like _menopause_ , immediately clammed up. "I don't think that's how that works." Syca didn't _want_ to know how it worked. He knew next to nothing about the female body, really next to nothing about girls in general, and right now he didn't need to know everything about the mechanics of… All that. Camellia sometimes got moody because of the hormones and sometimes even took days off of school with stomach pain. It didn't sound very fun to Syca, but it mostly just grossed him out. Maybe he'd pay attention one day when he got a girlfriend.

Oh, a girlfriend. Probably more unattainable than a Hunger Games Victory at this point. It was so frustrating. But Syca didn't even want to think about that now. Right now, he was just going to enjoy hanging out with his friend, and that was going to be that.

Helio just shrugged, signifying that like Syca, he neither knew nor wanted to know what menopause entailed.

"I bet I can carry more logs than you!" Helio said, to which Syca grinned.

"No way!" Both boys quickly started to collect logs, as many as either of them could possibly hold in their arms at one time. Syca grew a pile tall enough that he couldn't see over it when he heard a startled "woah!" and a big crash as Helio stumbled, spilling the logs in his arms on the ground.

"Dang," he said, but Syca could hear him grinning as he brushed himself off.

"Gallen, Lupine! That doesn't seem like working to me!" their supervisor said, a warning tone in her voice as she approached them, looking stern.

"Sorry ma'am!" Helio said, quickly collecting a more feasible number of logs. Syca apologized too as they went to the truck, dropping the load in. The supervisor could have been a lot more harsh with them, but she was used to the two boys messing around when they worked. Helio worked more than Syca, who only did it when he could use some pocket money for special treats.

Either way, the boys loved working together, and had always talked about being men with full families in the woods together chopping trees and making the next generation of young teenagers carry the logs to the truck for them. It was such a lovely mental picture, really. Someday Syca would be an adult, he'd settle down with a wife and they'd make a family, and he hoped to have his friends and family near forever. Then maybe someday he'd learn what menopause was, but that was the least of his worries now.

The boys kept their heads down and did their work for a while, but as soon as the supervisor looked away, Syca and Helio were back to their games. They were both too light-hearted and energetic to just work silently.

"So, how's your sister?" Helio asked, hefting up some more logs.

"Not too bad," Syca said, the bark pressing into his arms as he carried the rough, splintery, heavy objects.

Helio made a face, squeezing his eyes shut and looking like he just ate something sour. Syca would have thought it was funny if he wasn't so concerned for his friend. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked as they both dropped their loads.

"I think I got sweat in my eye," Helio said, rubbing at his eyes while still trying to walk. "Ah, it stings."

"Oh yeah, that sucks." Syca had been there before, it wasn't fun. Helio used his shirt to try and absorb some of the sweat as he tried to cry it out.

"Just think about… Dead puppies."

Helios glanced over at him with bleary eyes for just a minute. "What?"

"You know, cry it out. Dead puppies."

"That's too harsh," Helios said, some of the teasing back in his voice as he blinked a couple of times, wiped his arms on his pants and took another armful of logs.

Syca almost didn't want to ask the question, but it came out before he could stop it. "Are you nervous for the reaping at all?" As a teen in the reaping pool, Syca knew what it was like to be asked that question. It sucked, but Syca himself was quite nervous for it and wanted to have some reassurance.

"Of course. Aren't we all? Just think, though, it's a whole District of kids that aren't us."

"The pool is smaller this year, though. The Quell, remember?"

"Oh, yeah… Well… It's nothing to stress out about now. District 7 is spread out, but it's bigger than people think. There are hundreds- thousands of kids in our age range. And you're one of the youngest, plus you haven't taken tesserae, so you shouldn't be worried. You're the metaphorical twelve-year-old," he teased.

"You'd only be thirteen then."

Helio laughed. "Thank goodness we're not twelve and thirteen anymore." He dropped his load and Syca did the same.

"I think that's our quota for today," he said.

"Already? Wow." Syca took a breath of relief and wiped more sweat off of his forehead. He could feel the drops of it rolling down his back before they were caught by his shirt, which stuck to his back with the moisture. He couldn't wait to get home and cool off.

"You're going home?" Helio asked.

"That's right. You?"

"Mhm. Walk together?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

The two boys checked in with their supervisor, who dismissed them, and started towards home together.

On their way, they saw a group of girls hanging out. Helio was so smooth as he gave them a nod, and they all smiled and waved at him.

"They're in my class," he said.

Syca nodded. He wished he had as many friends that were girls as Helio. Syca's work friend flirted so easily, and he made it look so effortless. Syca had always wanted to be that smooth, but for some unknown reason he always just froze up when he tried to talk to girls. They were just so pretty and he just liked them. They were soft. If only he was as comfortable with strangers as he was with his friends and family.

Even when he was half successful, Diascia always had to come around and ruin it. Syca had no idea what her problem with him was, but she never let him have a break. Just the other day he was making some good conversation with Amarys, a really cute girl in his class. She had even laughed at one of his jokes, and not even a pity laugh, like, a real laugh because she thought it was funny. Syca thought this could be it. The chance he had been hoping for.

Then, Diascia came in. She reminded Amarys of that time they were young and Syca ripped his pants while trying to climb a tree. From there came all of the embarrassing elementary school stories, most of which Syca had no idea how Diascia even remembered they were so far back. By the end, even if Amarys was still talking to him, she saw him as the embarrassing little kid that was crying because his tighty-whities were showing. It was frustrating beyond belief. He hadn't gotten the courage to approach Amarys again, he was too embarrassed. She could have easily forgotten that Syca had wet himself before a presentation for class he was so nervous. Syca knew he'd matured since then, especially with the help of his best friend Aconite. Nobody would see that, though.

"See ya later!" Helio said when they reached the fork in the road.

"Bye!" Syca said, smiling at his friend. Helio and Syca parted ways, and Syca walked home, smiling at the extra money he now had in his pocket. He and Aconite were going to get together the next day and buy some baked goods from the nice lady in the camp half an hour away that baked pastries. It was always fun to spend time with Aconite, and Syca knew that his best friend would always be there to listen to his problems and support him.

Syca smiled as he walked home, the thoughts of the day and that to come replacing those of jealousy and frustration. At the end of the day, his friends and family would be by his side, and that was what really mattered. The prospect of finding a girlfriend was less important to him (though still pretty important), as impossible as it seemed.

Syca wondered how the Capitol was intending on making their tributes fall in love during the Games as the Quell twist had promised. He didn't doubt that they had something up their sleeve, they were the Capitol of course. If only the tributes could go and find love without fighting to the death, then Syca would be really interested. But this really wasn't worth dying over. He could only hope that the reaping would come and go and he and Helio and Aconite and Camillia and Amrys and yes, even Diascia were safe. Syca didn't know what he ever did to her, but he didn't wish the Games upon her. He wouldn't wish those upon anyone.

Syca went inside and was only slightly surprised to see Senna there.

"Hey bro!" Camillia said, waving to her brother. The siblings were only a year apart in age, and were very close. Syca so often saw siblings that were constantly at each other's throats, and couldn't help but feel grateful that he had been blessed with an older sister that was also the best friend he could ever ask for.

"Hey!" he said.

"Hey kid," Senna teased, and Syca just laughed.

"You're a _year_ older," Syca said light-heartedly.

"And three months, and five days. And don't you forget it!"

Camillia laughed. "By the way, I like the new 'do!" she said. Her voice was light and teasing, but not mean. Even so, Syca couldn't help feeling insecure as a blush spread across his face. This kind of attention just made him nervous and flustered, and he quickly took his hair out of the ponytail it had been in, embarrassed and shy.

"Aw, I was just teasing!" she said, "But really, it's nice!"

"Thanks," Syca said, feeling just as embarrassed. "I think I'm going to go shower, I'm pretty sweaty."

Camillia laughed. "Alright. But don't take too long, or else you'll miss dinner!"

"What are we having?"

"I think Mom went to the store to buy some meat! Ham, I think!"

"Ham?! Oh yes!" Syca gave a wave and excused himself, his good mood restored. He loved when his family could afford such luxuries as real, juicy, succulent meat. As Syca rinsed off in the cool water, his mind wandered away from the frustrations and stayed focused on the excitement of the days to come. Ham, baked goods with a good friend, the thought of staying up late telling Camillia about his day of school and work… The last thing he wanted to think about was his own anger and frustration, or, Snow forbid, the reaping.

He swallowed his fear and hid it behind a smile as the smell of meat reached his nose and he quickly dried off, hurrying to the kitchen for dinner.

 _Helio is right,_ Syca thought, _This is a problem for another day._

* * *

-Persei Holloway, 15, District 7-

 _One Week before the reaping_

Persei was _mad_.

She sat in the corner of the small, dusty room. She could see the dust particles floating in the air because of the sun that was shining through the window.

It was a fucking beautiful day and where was she? Here. In _school_. She had already attended her classes for the day, she should be on her way home right now! It was fucking Friday for goodness sakes! The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the breeze was just right. It was the perfect day for some exploring, for some adventure. Not to mention the fact that the rest of her family was getting together to celebrate her brother Seth's birthday today.

Well, not _every_ member of her family. Besides her father, which was just the norm nowadays, her cousin Avis would arrive late at the party.

Even if Persei was forced to sit here and simmer after class in this roasting, dirty, old-ass room, at least she wasn't alone. Avis sat to her left, looking just as royally pissed. The girls usually agreed on things like this, and they were both boiling mad. Not to mention sweaty and bored out of their fucking _minds_. On Persei's right sat Caia, her best friend not related to her by blood. She looked annoyed, maybe not as angry as Persei and Avis, but close enough.

On the other side of the room sat the reason they were all here. Anemone Tarantino. Fucking Anemone. If she'd just stayed out of this, which was never her fucking business to begin with, none of them would be here, and they'd all be enjoying their Friday afternoons far, _far_ away from each other.

Even the moderator of detention was pissed off at fucking Anemone. He could have gone home as well, but no, that would have made too much sense. Instead, all of them were stuck there, and Anemone didn't even look sorry. Next to her was her sniveling little friend Lyla Lawniczak. Just seeing the girl made Persei sick. On Lyla's other side was Anenome's brother Conifer, who was almost as bad as his sister. If those two had just stayed back and let Lyla fight her own fucking battle, they wouldn't all be suffering now.

But, that would be courteous, and Panem forbid the fucking Tarantinos would be _courteous_.

It was pretty easy for Avis to get a fight out of Lyla. All she had to do was her spot-on Lyla Lawniczak impersonation. _"Hi, I'm Lyla Lawniczak, look at how diddly darn pretty I am! I want to be rich but I'm not, oh my good golly_ goodness _, is that_ dirt _in my_ nails _!? Look at me, I just picked this flower out of the ground, see how cute I am? I won't even pull the petals off because everyone_ loves _me because I'm so special!"_ You'd just have to know Lyla to get it. Anyways, it was pretty spot-on, and it would have been good enough if Lyla had just stood there with tears pouring out of her eyes like Persei and Avis expected. But no, little Lyla, who was Avis's age at 14, decided to humor them all by fighting back.

Lyla knew she was no match for Avis, but she went for it anyways. The fight just spiced it up, and Avis overpowered her quickly, causing her to scream and cry some more. Now, Persei and Caia were glancing for teachers, but soon the Tarantinos got involved. First it was Anemone, who started yelling for them to stop. Caia, who had always been the most impulsive, sprang on her, which made it even more amusing because Anemone would run her huge-ass mouth but she couldn't hold her own in a fight, not a way in hell. Conifer then decided to grace them all with his presence, trying to pry Caia off of the defeated Anemone. He worked part-time in the woods, so he was more formidable.

Persei could see that Caia was now outmatched, with both of the Tarantinos against her, and had to go help her friend, while Lyla and Avis were still fighting. So of course Reeve Lavigne has to go tell a teacher, who quickly ended the fights and gave all people involved detention.

 _Ugh_. Talk about spoiling a perfectly good Friday afternoon.

If only Anemone had just kept her pretty little fucking mouth shut and held her place. Then none of this would have happened. Persei hoped she was absolutely miserable. She deserved it, after all she'd done.

Avis was unscathed, considering Lyla's idea of fighting was waving her hands around like some kind of petty slap-fight. However, Caia had taken quite a beating. Her lip was bleeding, and she had a very obvious black eye starting to form. The more Persei looked at her friend's face, the angrier she got at the fucking Tarantinos.

Persei couldn't say she was surprised, though. Unlike her friend, Persei was very much a planner, and wasn't so incredibly impulsive that she rushed into every fight without thinking. Persei could have predicted that Conifer would have gotten involved, and that together, the siblings would have been more powerful. After all, Conifer was newly 17, he lifted Caia off of Anemone like she weighed nothing. Persei knew that even if she'd tried to stop Caia from making the rash decision to take on the fight, it wouldn't have worked. That was, if she had even _known_ what Caia was going to do. Caia was so unpredictable, Persei hadn't realized she intended on taking Anemone on until both girls were on the floor.

Lyla's face looked far worse than Caia's, however. The special little flower now had a busted lip gushing out blood, a puffy black eye, and bleeding scratches on her neck and across her temple. Anenome's nose looked eerily deformed as blood poured out, and Persei barely felt sorry that she would have to serve her detention time before she would be able to get help for it. Persei secretly hoped that it was broken. She definitely deserved it, for the suffering she was causing Avis and Caia as they were all simmering in this humid cauldron of boredom. Conifer had escaped with only a shiner. Persei was prepared to do much more damage, but Reeve had to go tell on them. Persei wished that Reeve would be here with them, after all, they were _all_ suffering because he just had to go to a teacher. But no, because Reeve was the one that told, he got off the fucking hook. Persei would never do that. She, Avis, and Caia were a team, they were her best friends. They all get detention together thanks to those fucking imbeciles. Besides, Avis and Caia had both suffered injuries and detentions for fights Persei had started, it was only fair that she suffer for them.

Soon. It would be over soon.

Persei glanced at the clock, huffing when she found that she was only halfway through this suffering. The room was starting to reek like blood in the humidity, and frankly it was stuffier than an elephant's asshole. Persei knew that she couldn't take it anymore, and gave her girls a look that they had seen before, translating to: _I got this_.

She approached Mr. Madigan, the nineteen-year-old, newly-out-of-the-reapings aspiring teacher who did detention duty with the hopes of being accepted into University and teach somewhere that wasn't so rural and stupid as District 7. Maybe Kendal Beck had won his Games with his brain, by stringing up his totally unexpecting District partner, but the other living Victors in District 7 won from a combination of strength and luck. Hell, Helen Bethel had won with her ditzy brain and brute strength. She was like Johanna Mason 2.0.

Of course after Johanna did it once, pulling the exact same strategy wouldn't have worked, because now people were watching out for the weak ones. Instead, Helen had combined the ditzy flirtiness of One with the strategy for Four and the brute ruthless strength of District 2. She had gotten a couple of allies, both of which ended up totally gobstruck by her, and in the end abandoned them. It was the perfect spinoff of Johanna's strategy, and it had worked like magic.

The disgusting part was frankly that this all happened inadvertently. Persei was sure that Helen hadn't planned anything, and had just won by dumb luck. But if that's what it took for District 7 to be fed another year, then that's what it took.

"Hello Mr. Madigan," Persei said, turning the charm up. She was usually quite blunt, but if it meant getting out of detention early, she would do most anything.

"Bathroom break isn't for another… Twelve minutes. You'll just have to wait." The teacher puffed out air tiredly, and gestured Persei back to her seat, trying to end the conversation.

"Do you have a younger sister, Mr. Madigan? A brother, perhaps?"

The young man, who Avis and Caia had often joked about being the hot teacher (Persei just didn't get it. But she didn't really get the whole appeal of sex either. She'd never even had a crush, but that's another story), dismissed Persei's question with a wave. "Take a seat, Miss Holloway."

"I'm sorry Sir," she said, feigning guilt. "I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to let Caia out of detention early."

"No. She's serving just as the rest of you are. Take a seat."

"Please," Persei said, widening her brown eyes slightly. "I will serve double time if you just let her out early. You see, this is quite possibly the last weekend she'll get to spend with her family, with the reaping so soon… Far too soon…" Persei was risking a lot, but she kept going. "Her father works all through the week, and I'm sure that just one more hour he could spend with his precious child would mean everything." None of this was really true, of course, but it seemed to be working because Mr. Madigan was thinking about it.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You know the rules."

Persei put on the saddest face she possibly could before another idea came into her head. It made her sick to think, but she was desperate.

"Conifer has his name in the bowl so many times, Mr. Madigan." The boy looked up, surprised that he was brought into this. "The Tarantinos have both of their precious children eligible to be reaped. Oh, what if they were chosen together?! Every second counts. Conifer has had to put his name into the ball over sixty times over these six years, isn't that right?" she glanced back, silently daring him to call her out.

"Oh, yes, actually, sixty- _eight_ times," he said quickly, covering his lie in a cough. _He'd better not ruin this for us,_ Persei thought. This was a great plan, and the last thing she needed was another imbecile messing it up. "Just think of poor Persei's family, though. They must be missing her so much. What if Persei is reaped and missed quality time spent with her… New baby brother?" Okay, he was pushing too far. Mr. Madigan was looking more strict, probably able to see through Conifer's horrible lie. "And think of poor Caia, as well."

Caia stood up, and Persei was worried as she had no idea what would come out of her friend's mouth. Luckily, it saved them.

"Please Mr. Madigan, just keep me in detention! But let Conifer and Anemone see their family! I simply couldn't live with myself if they were reaped and didn't have this time!"

"No, please, I'll stay," Anemone added, "But let the others go."

Mr. Madigan looked puzzled, so Persei stepped up to drive it home. "Mr. Madigan, we may have been fighting, but the truth is that we're all scared for the reapings. Stress is high and we all regret what happened." So that statement was more a lie than truth, but Persei didn't mind lying to get them all out of there. "We all just want to see our families." The others nodded vigorously, all except Lyla, who was probably too fatigued to do much of anything except for sit there and hold back whimpers like an injured dog.

"Oh, alright," he said, "I remember reapings so clearly. Why don't you all just apologize and then you can go home early."

There was much agreement and many thanks were given as they quickly muttered the most meaningless "sorry"s ever said and left quickly.

"You will regret what you did to poor Lyla!" Anenome warned them, as soon as they were all out of earshot. Lyla could barely walk, she was leaning heavily on Conifer.

"Next time, I'll beat your ass!" Caia promised, and Persei just gave her typical snarl before the groups parted ways.

"Nice work there!" Caia said, grinning and patting Persei on the back.

"Thanks," the other girl said, grinning proudly. Persei really liked to succeed, as she often did when she really wanted something.

"I'll see you later!" Caia said, waving and taking the path that led to her house.

The two cousins walked back together, where Uncle Jonah was already playing the fiddle cheerfully. Avis's sister Thea was quick to come over and talk proudly about a pranks she had pulled on Persei's sister Regan.

"Where have you two been!? We were starting to worry that curiosity really did kill you cats!" Persei's mother said. It was pretty easy to form a lie considering neither of the girls were physically injured, and what their family didn't know didn't hurt them.

"Oh, we were just out exploring the woods," Persei said. The excuse was enough for the others, who got back to their festivities.

When nobody was looking, Avis gave her cousin a wink.

 _Scot free, just as always_. Persei thought.

 _Ah, it's all in a day's work._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: *wild laughter* FINALLY DONE WITH INTROS! AHAHAHA, YAAAASS I AM SO HAPPY WE GET TO MOVE ON TO THE EVEN MORE FUN STUFF!**_

 _ **A special thanks to all y'all, who gave me a cast of characters who are all so dynamic, well-developed, and easy to write. Seriously, writing these intros was a breeze, not a chore, and I thank you all for that. I had a lot of fun using some creative liberty with the tributes (also, locating the story's meme), and can't wait to have them interacting as we go into the pre-Games events!**_

 _ **And, of course, more specifically, thank you to TheEngineeringGames and 0KiCat0 for Syca and Persei respectively! Also, thank you guys for being so patient, I know having the last reaping chapter is always hard, but I hope it was worth the wait!**_

 _ **Also, random thing, but I'm starting a new series for this, something that I did for Silhouettes as well. The premise is that the Danzón blog can also serve as an ask blog for any of the characters in this story, so if you want to ask the tributes questions, you can submit them via my Tumblr and they'll be answered on the blog. If you're not sure what this means, just check out the Danzón blog and you'll see what I mean.**_

 _ **So, first I'll give you some optional questions that won't count as points or anything, just curious me:**_

 _ **First off, my friend Dreamer has designed multiple Capitol characters that will be featured in relationships with the Victors and during the pre-Games party, and I figured, why not open the opportunity to everyone? Really, this is just to see if you'd be interested in that? Because by my canon every Victor is going to be required to bring a date to the party, whether it be a Capitolite or person from home, and I still have some without any dates and I have no ideas for them. I dunno, this might be a chance for any of you who didn't get a tribute in and still want to have characters to have them, or for those of you who just want to make more characters and see them written. I dunno, let me know if you'd be interested in that. Just know that the roles these characters would play in the story would be minimal at best.**_

 _ **Secondly, I want to know what you think about the tributes from this chapter- who do you like better and why? And how'd I do with them, submitters?**_

 _ **Thirdly, are there any specific tributes you want to see interacting with escorts/mentors?**_

 _ **Alright, here are the questions you get points for answering:**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Who are your favorites and who are the stand-outs for you? Also, SHIP PREDICTIONS! :D Give me ship predictions, whether it be for your character, for other characters, whatever you think. Are you shipping anything off the bat? Let me know what you think, ehehe! Maybe you'll change my plans!**_

 _ **Thanks for all the amazing support, I absolutely can't wait to show you what I have in store as the story picks up pace! Next chapter, we'll get to see the reapings and learn a bit more about Cupid. See ya there!**_


	18. Victor's Conference

-Kendal Stowers, Victor of the 84th Games-

 _Three Months before the reaping_

Gravity always looked so excited when he baked.

Kendal just couldn't forget how proud the District One native had been when he showed off the eggs he was able to scramble. That was when they were both so much younger, of course, and since retiring his position of mayor, he'd just had more time to try new things. Nobody gave him enough credit for his baking abilities, really. Then again, Kendal was sure nobody gave him enough credit for anything.

The chocolate chip muffins that he made smelled great, and Kendal couldn't help but eat one warm.

"How'd they come out?" Gravity asked as he loaded the dishwasher.

Kendal grinned up at him. "Good as always."

Gravity laughed and started the machine before kissing his spouse on the forehead. "Good. I'll get out of your way for the meeting."

Kendal sighed, trying to keep any anxiety about what might happen away. These yearly mentor conferences were, to sum it up, unpredictable. Sometimes they went well, sometimes… not.

District 7 was one of the calmer Districts, and nobody there really cared for Victors other than their own, so there wasn't too much of a buzz over the others arriving. Helen showed up first, as was expected considering they lived a few houses apart from each other.

The others trickled in pair by pair, until the District Twelve pair came last. Allegra's face was red and her eyes were puffy, and the older Victor couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. He knew how hard it was to be a survivor. Recently, since his fame had died down and his kids had moved out, he'd settled into researching the psychology of fear. It really was an interesting topic. He had certainly had his share of fear.

That didn't matter nearly as much now, as there was business to be settled. This was an important time to figure out how the mentors as a collective unit were going to deal with the twist. This yearly meeting had settled into tradition, and proved to be helpful both in Victor bonding and in strategy-planning. Some of the Victors, like Nona, avoided the muffins, but some, like Vesperus and Helen, helped themselves to plenty. It didn't help when Arthur brought cookies for everyone to pick at as well. Hopefully they'd end the meeting before any sugar rushes happened.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Victor's conference for the 125th Hunger Games." He had to force the words out, wishing that Gravity would stay by his side and be his stability just like he always had. Though Kendal was nearly 60, the thought of the Games were still just as repulsive, the memories and shadows and silhouettes of the fallen still just as alive in the night.

The others gave a pretty dull response, but it was to be expected. None of them liked the idea of the Games in the first place, and the twist of the Quell had just added more tension. Kendal noticed that Michael and Port from 4 were about as far apart as possible. The other District pairs sat together. Kelly from 5 was cowering behind her much larger mentoring partner Tim, which gave Kendal an idea.

"The meeting will start in a couple of minutes. I'll be right back though." He went for the closet that contained sheets and linens, bringing a dark sheet out and handing it to the female mentor from District 5, who seemed to calm at the darkness covering her. They really were a pitiful bunch, battered and beaten, but they were all survivors.

"Alright, now we can begin. First order of business is a big thanks to Michael for the pamphlets."

The District 4 Victor looked up. "Oh, um, yeah. I hope you all can use them. I know that some of this can be hard to explain, especially if you haven't quite gone through it, so hopefully this will give you some tips if you need them."

Chervil from 11 shifted uncomfortably, but nobody said anything.

Chervil had been one hell of a firecracker when he'd first won. Kendal would never forget the conference for the 111th Games, what a disaster that was. Chervil was not friends with the 110th Victor, who was from District 1. Skeeter, who was known for his hatred of Careers, just egged him on, and it had ended with a bloody brawl.

Kendal couldn't blame her for kicking him in the face, he was spewing bullshit out and when he deadnamed her, that was when she kicked him. Kendal would have liked to do the same to his mentor all the way back when he was getting ready for the Games, for misgendering his escort and now close friend. Chervil had definitely deserved it. She broke his nose. After that he just sat quietly and pouted when these topics came up. An improvement from spewing bullshit, but almost as annoying. He just needed someone patient to teach him a lesson, that was all.

"They're just bluffing, I'm sure of it," Nona from 2 stated confidently, hitting Vesperus on the arm when she noticed that he had filled his plate with four cookies and two muffins.

"Don't underestimate them, Nona," Cartier said, his voice dark. "Love in the Hunger Games has happened. Maybe it wasn't public, but I'm sure it's happened."

"And how would you know _that_?" Skeeter quizzed, and Kendal could see this quickly going downhill.

"Love in the Hunger Games is just going to make everything so much better," Tartan said with a laugh, and Anthony gave him a glare. At least it changed the subject somewhat. Luckily, Cartier was rational enough to let Skeeter's comment slide, and went along with it when the topic changed.

"It's going to be much more dangerous," Ellie said quietly.

"Heart-wrenching for sure. I can only hope that they don't play with the tributes too much," Tim murmured, looking at his hands.

"That's all they want to do," Roxanne quickly piped up, and Kendal knew he had to change the topic before things went too far. He was around the last time things went too far, it wasn't pretty for anyone involved.

"Also, I thought now would be a good time to give any general advice to our newest Victor about mentoring. Especially during a Quell, I'm sure that's quite stressful of a thought." He scanned the room for Prentice, who he soon found sitting close to Vale. Surprisingly, though, Gian wasn't by his side as usual.

"Yes, let's talk about Prentice," came the voice of the District 6 resident. Gian stood up and gave a scowl to the youngest Victor. "Let's talk about how he manipulated a Capitolite for Arena facts behind all of our backs!"

Everyone looked at Prentice, and Kendal's heart started to pound with the realization that it was going to be a rough year.

"Vale told me to use what I had. So I did. I used the only thing I have."

"It's totally not fair! It's like, breaking the rules of mentoring!" Gian said, throwing his arms up.

"I'm sorry Gian, I didn't get the fucking rulebook. In fact, I don't think there is one. I told you that I'd let you in if you didn't bring this up!"

"No! I don't want to play dirty like this!"

"That's totally crossing a line," Blessing muttered, the first thing she'd said since arriving.

"There's no rule against it, is there? Look, y'all have the unfair advantage of actually knowing what you're doing, well, this is my advantage over all of you."

"No, this is insane," Tav said. "Arena information is extremely sensitive and important, you can't just hold that over us Prentice."

Prentice just crossed his arms. "I used what I have. I'm not sorry."

"Excuse me!?" Helen said, but when Kendal gave her a scolding look, she piped down.

"It's probably just lies," Cartier said, rationalizing. Kendal felt relief that a lot of the Victors seemed to agree with this. "Nothing spoken in the bedroom is true."

"Especially not when you're a whore," Roxanne added.

Prentice looked hurt, which caused the older Victor to roll her eyes. "Oh please, we've all been whores. Grow up."

"I got the information fair and square, and I'll do with it what I want," he said quietly.

"Who?" Chervil asked, sounding mad. The others soon echoed the question, though.

Prentice hung his head, ashamed. "Honoré Laud. She's a Gamemaker."

Tartan burst out laughing at that, which made Kendal cringe as he could feel tensions rising. "Dude, she's a wrinkly old lady! You're saying that you buried your face in her limp old milk sacks just to get some stupid shit that probably isn't true?!"

Prentice's face went crimson as he readjusted the scarf on his neck that hid the dark bruises of hickeys, and he hung his head.

"Apparently, it was worth it, because he _'struck gold, Gian,_ '" the District 6 Victor mocked his roommate bitterly.

"Gold, you say?" Nona's eyebrow went up.

"Just tell us, Prentice," Blessing said, crossing her arms.

"No."

"Vale, surely you can talk some sense into him," Braelynn said, and all eyes went to the older Victor. Vale didn't look at any of them, instead he just stared at the ground.

"He told you, didn't he?" Cartier spoke the words that everyone was thinking.

"You can't play dirty!" Gian said, becoming more and more bothered.

"If you lived in a District that only had one living Victor before last year, you would understand how much we _need_ this," he said quietly. "Our District was hollow and hopeless. Winning the Games brought some kind of life back into it. I can't go back to a ghost town. Not anymore. I can't take it."

Vesperus had been eerily quiet. Each time Kendal had looked at him, he looked more and more annoyed. This surely wasn't going to end well, if Vesperus was about to lose his head.

"No," he said in a low voice, " _you_ don't understand. Pluto was at my door, red-faced, tears running down their face and sobs ripping out of their throat, they took my arm and shouted, begged me to mentor this year, because they were fucking horrified of mentoring this year. Acacia is a very important person, and Pluto felt too much pressure, mentoring the sibling of the guy they love, and you're going to fuck the answers out of some deranged old lady?!"

"Oh, cry me a river," Prentice spat, "Let's take a look at this. Your tributes have been trained since they can toddle, and even though the reaping's not for another three months, you know exactly who your tribute is. I don't think _you_ get to tell _me_ what's fair."

"Well we're not a Career District and I think that's a new low," Arthur said, to which Prentice glared at him.

"Oh, spare me," Prentice said, scowling, "You expect me to believe you don't train tributes? Stop pretending you're a pathetic outer District. You think that hulking boy that shot the target dead-on every time, you know, the same one that shot an arrow through my ally's head, that one, you expect me to believe he'd never touched a bow before he was reaped?! You expect me to believe that your tributes travel with the Careers and know how to fight, but just because your number is higher you're not a Career? Kiss my ass," Prentice said, irritably.

"Prentice, think about what you're saying," Tim said, noticing Kendal and Ellie's rising anxiety and trying to quell the situation.

"You don't get it! Districts One, Two, Four, and Ten are Capitol lapdog Careers."

"We are not a Career District!" Arthur said. "We don't train for the Games like Careers!"

"You're well on the road, Sweetheart," Prentice said, ignoring how red Arthur's face got from pure anger. "District Three is super innovative and rich, and Universities are being built there, and in Five and Six as well. Districts Seven and Eight have had money poured into them to end poverty and gang violence, so's Twelve. District Nine has _nothing_!"

"District Eleven is far worse-off than Nine!" Skeeter said, and Chervil quickly agreed.

"You did that to yourselves and you know it," Prentice fired back. "District Nine's never done a single rebellious thing and yet we're left alone. It's time we get new Victors, fresh blood."

"You're making a very dangerous enemy," Vesperus growled, getting up and pulling Prentice up by the shirt. "I'll give you one last chance. Quit playing around and tell us what you know. You crossed the line."

"She told me the Arena concept, and how they're going to make the twist work. That's what I know. There. Told you what I know."

The room went up into chaos at that. Gian looked plain hurt, and Kendal assumed it was because he didn't know just how much valuable information Prentice was hiding.

"Well?" Blessing asked, crossing her arms.

"I'm not telling. I'll go over the Arena stuff with my tribute, and Vale will with his, and they'll tell whoever the hell they want, but I'm not saying anything."

"Vale," Vesperus said, voice threatening.

"No," the older Victor said, his face set solid like stone. "I'm not telling either. District Nine will keep our streak of Victors. We can't afford not to."

"Don't, Vesperus," Cartier said, quickly crossing the room to keep the District 2 Victor from punching Prentice across the face.

"If he's bruised nobody will want to sleep with him and he can't fuck anything else up!" the District 2 Victor said, to which Nona gave a "hell yeah!" and Tartan started cheering for a fight.

"It's not worth it," Tav said, quickly, helping to separate the fight before it began. Kendal saw a familiar look in Prentice's eyes. So tired, emotionally dead, numb. He knew that Prentice would have taken the punch and not fought back. It was something all of the Victors had experienced, it was a part of being a survivor, after 23 others had died.

Everyone waited in tense silence for someone to make the next move. That someone was Vesperus, who quickly grabbed his coat and started to leave.

"And where are _you_ going?" Nona asked, glancing at him.

"Two can play at this game," he said, a wicked look in his eyes as he smirked. "I'm going to talk to Mr. Hastings himself." The door closed behind him, and Kendal knew that this meeting would run short. Maybe next year they'd be able to get through some real business without arguing, but this just wouldn't be one of those years.

"Meeting adjourned," he said, sighing dejectedly. "I'll see you all in the Capitol. And may the odds be ever in your favor."

 _Another year, another bicker-session. Well, at least the muffins were good._

.

 _ **A/N: So, I lied. I had this little Victor's blurb planned for a while, and was going to put it in the same chapter as the reaping recap, but decided not to because it was getting to be monstrously long. However, the recaps are in the works and should be out this week, no worries.**_

 _ **So, if you want to submit dates for Victors, the list of those who still need them is up on my profile! It's really relaxed, so if you're interested PM me, and if not, that's chill too. I can make do with what I've got.**_

 _ **I'm getting asks for the tributes, but I'm trying to space them out a bit so sorry if I don't get to yours right away! I do have them, though. I'm working on it.**_

 _ **Also, ShunKazimis-Girl, who submitted Anakyn, an escort for this story, has asked me about drawing fanart of the escorts from this story! That's totally exciting and it'll be amazing, but in case you cared I'll probably be sending her the escort forms. So if, for some reason, you submitted an escort and don't want the form sent, PM me.**_

 _ **Hope you don't mind the interlude, and that you're enjoying the story so far! This throws a new twist on things, just to shake them up. So, without further ado, the CQ!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Do you think that Prentice is justified in what he did? Do you think any of the other mentors will succeed in schmoozing information out of higher-ups?**_


	19. Reaping Recaps

-Quantavius Lawerence, Chief of Research-

 _Reaping Day_

Cupid was going to make Numitor eat his words.

The twenty-eight year old man had been waiting for this day, so tediously pulling strings, testing his patience, but his hard work had finally paid off. Today was the day, and it was so exciting.

He had a bag of supplies over his shoulder as he was heading home, excited to watch the reapings, of course, but more excited for what would come beforehand. Today was going to be the day that everything would change.

Cupid took a deep breath, an easy smirk on his face as he unlocked the door to his house and went in.

As soon as he entered, he was tackled.

Well, it wasn't much of a tackle as much as it was an eleven-year-old flinging himself at Cupid's legs, plastic sword in hand.

"You nasty Careers aren't going to get _my_ ally!" he said proudly, glancing back to where his sister was sitting on the floor, mostly looking confused.

"Hey Aristotle, I have something important to show you before we play, okay? Can you go get your brother?"

That seemed to snap him out of his game, as Aristotle quickly nodded and went off looking for Numitor, who was probably doing homework in the small bedroom the three siblings shared.

Cupid crossed the room to greet Trixie. "Hey kid. How was pre-school?"

"Good Daddy!" she said happily. Cupid was torn between joy at her use of the word and fear. It was a good thing Numitor wasn't around to hear that.

Eventually, Aristotle had dragged his brother out to the living room. Numitor didn't look too amused, though.

"What do you want, Q?" the fifteen-year-old asked, crossing his arms. "What, are we going to _move_ again? If this is about the whole orphanage thing-"

"Numitor. Please."

"What is it then!?" Aristotle asked. His eyes had been on the bag ever since Cupid had entered.

"Remember how I told you that Santa was very busy and couldn't make everything you guys asked for?"

"I do!" Trixie said, and Aristotle nodded quickly. Numitor's scowl deepened, but he didn't open his mouth.

"I ran into him on the street today. And he told me that he had time to make you all gifts."

"Even though it's not the Winter Festival!?" Aristotle asked, eyes wide.

"Mhm. Santa's elves are much less busy in the off-season."

"What did you do?" Numitor asked, but Cupid ignored him.

"First, for Aristotle," Q rummaged through his bag before he found what he was looking for.

"An archery set! Like, _the real deal!_ Wow!" he beamed and quickly tried to load an arrow.

"Careful with that, bud! Maybe we should wait until we can go outside."

"After the reaping recaps?!" he asked hopefully.

"Sure." That satisfied the boy, and Cupid reached in for the next item.

"For you, Numitor." The fifteen-year-old took the case and opened it.

"It's… A trumpet. So, Santa rented me a new trumpet?"

"Nope, it's not a rental. That trumpet is yours."

"What?! How did you-"

"I didn't do anything. Santa did. He's got connections."

"No. This is impossible."

"The only thing about it is that apparently the trumpet's name is Fred? You're to take good care of Fred."

Numitor crossed his arms. Cupid figured that he'd get that reaction, but couldn't leave out the youngest.

"For you, Trixie…" he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "Santa wasn't sure which princess dress you wanted, so he gave me some money so that we can go to the store together and you can pick one."

"A dress!" Trixie's eyes, blue like her mothers, lit up.

"How did you get these?" Numitor asked, flipping the burgundy hair out of his eyes. "I thought you promised you weren't gonna do bad things to get money anymore!"

"I did promise. And I'm not doing bad things to get money, alright? It's all Santa. But, I have a gift as well, for all three of you."

He handed the boys a piece of paper, knowing that Trixie, as bright as she was, still couldn't quite read.

"What are they?" she asked, trying to look over Aristotle's shoulder.

"No. Who did you steal this from!?" Numitor asked, glaring up at Cupid.

"We're going to the Games party!" Aristotle said excitedly, showing the paper to Trixie, who clapped and giggled. Both of them bounced around happily, and Cupid knew that he'd won their favor. Numitor wasn't so easily convinced, though.

"To get these you have to work in the Games or be a person of importance! And you're neither! So where'd you get them!? Who did you steal them from!? You promised you wouldn't-"

"Actually, I got a job in the Games." Cupid said simply.

"What? And you didn't mention-"

"I didn't want to mention it until it was solidified. But yes. I did some work on the scientific team for the Games. Ran into some extra, fair money."

Numitor still looked angry. Cupid just couldn't figure this kid out. He was so touchy. Sure, it was probably because of puberty, and he already hated Cupid because Cupid wasn't their real father, and because he'd found out about some of the measures Q had to take to keep everything afloat. It also didn't help that Cupid never wanted kids to begin with.

"What now?"

"That's a dangerous job," Numitor said, looking away as his cheeks flushed. "They can kill you."

Cupid smirked. "Oh? Maybe that's true. But I thought you'd just pack up and take your siblings to the orphanage."

Numitor stared at his feet. "You weren't lying, were you? That they'd change Trixie's name back. Try to make her be a boy again."

He looked like he was going to cry, which caused Q to soften up slightly. "I grew up there, Numitor. I wish I was lying. But no. I never gave you up because none of you deserve to go through what I did."

Numitor sniffled.

"It's okay, though. The President likes me and I'm on very good terms with Mr. Hastings, the Head Gamemaker. It'll stay that way, I promise. I won't die. I'll be here for you and you'll never have to go there."

Tor nodded, sniffling and wiping his eyes. "I still don't want to drop my Dad's last name," he said quietly.

"I know. I'm only your godfather. I won't bring it up again. You have to understand that Trixie doesn't remember your father, though. Neither of your parents."

Numitor sniffled and wiped at his eyes, not knowing what to say. They were interrupted when Aristotle gave his godfather a hug. "Thanks Cupid!" he said happily. "This is the best non-Winter Fest there ever was!"

Cupid smiled and ruffled his dark teal hair. "Sure thing." Aristotle was thrilled when Cupid let him dye his hair at the young age of 11, but the truth was that he looked far too much like his father with his naturally dark brown hair. It still hurt Cupid too much to think about that pain. The pain of watching Leviticus marry someone else, those two so happy together, having these three children and then dying so suddenly…

"We're going to get to see the tributes up close!?" Aristotle said.

"That's right," Cupid said, ruffling his hair. "Why don't you go turn the TV on for the reapings, I'll be right there."

"Okay!" Aristotle dashed off, Trixie following.

Cupid crossed the room, coming back with a box of tissues for Numitor, who blew his nose before hugging his godfather tightly. "Promise you're not toying with people anymore?" he sniffled.

"I promise."

He was lying.

"Hurry up Cupid! It's starting!" Aristotle loved the little nickname he coined, seeing as Quantavius was such a mouthful and Q was too short for his taste.

"Come on, let's go see this year's tributes." Q went to the TV room and took a seat on the couch, Trixie snuggling into his lap, to watch the reapings.

Piccolo and Viola were their same bubbly selves, quirky, true, but bubbly all the same. Their excitement for the reapings was definitely real. It was their genuine nature that made them such clear-cut choices for their positions. They were exactly the same on and off camera. Just as theatrical and annoying, yet just as excited and peppy. They were slightly more tolerable now that they didn't play their instruments at work, though. Slightly.

District One was first. These tributes always had good fighting potential, and they had defeated the ditz stereotype, mostly. Namibia Fuchsia, District 1's running escort for twenty-eight years, looked just as ridiculous as ever, with her skin, outfit, eyes, jewelry, and wig all the same shade of pink that shared her name. She gives the District a very warm greeting before she goes to the girls' bowl to select the first tribute.

"Serenity Bristol!" she announced. The girl stepped out of the sixteen-year-old section, a wide beam across her face as she waved at the crowd, acting almost as if she was actually going into the Games.

"Where's the volunteer!?" Aristotle said, in suspense as Namibia asked the question. This was one of the few tributes Q knew about before time, only because Lux had made a comment that maybe they'd be friends. Cupid and Valentine. The girl was a bit on the short side but looked sturdy, with waist-length hair and eyes that looked like they could pierce you. She made it up to the stage, a smile spreading across her face in Victory. When she smiled, she was considerably attractive. Surely she would have an admirer or two once the Q serum's effects began.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Namibia beamed proudly. "What's your name?"

"Wicke Valentine!" the girl said, brushing the hair out of her left eye with her fingers.

"So good to meet you Wicke," Namibia said. "Congratulations on receiving the honor of representing your District in the Games. Now, let's meet our boy." She strutted over to the other bowl and pulled out a name. She cleared her throat and read. "Winner Frye!"

The boy came out of the fifteen-year-old section, a confident smile on his face.

Aristotle watched the screen with wide eyes as Namibia asked for volunteers. The boy walks onto the stage confidently but coldly. It was obvious he was trying to appear the powerful brute, which would definitely put some fear into some of the lower District tributes. He was a wildcard, maybe he would give the Capitol a good show by opening up to a romantic partner, maybe not.

"He's scary!" Aristotle said, "I'm sure he'll make it far, maybe he'll win!"

"Don't judge so early, buddy, we haven't even met the others."

"Oh yeah," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Those types haven't won in years," Numitor said. "Nobody likes them because they're so angry all the time."

"Very true. But you never know. Maybe he's smart, or hiding something."

"What's your name?" Namibia asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. She often got good feedback from the mentors, and the tributes seemed to love her. It must have come from her grandmotherly nature, and also helped her to keep her spot secure for as long as she may have wanted it.

"Chancellor Magnusun," he said, his voice confident and rock-solid.

"Wonderful! District 1, your tributes, Wicke Valentine and Chance Magnusun!"

Piccolo and Viola talked about them, but Q was more interested in Aristotle's thoughts. After all, he'd predicted that Gian would at least be top 8 of his Games, and pegged Prentice a Victor from the very beginning, he was a pretty observant (or just lucky) kid.

"Those two are going to be hard to beat!" he said. "They definitely have the right Career air around them!"

"They might not stand out enough to win the crowds, though," Numitor said. He, like his godfather, was very analytical. "They could either be extremely interesting, or a big bore."

"Good observations, Tor," Q said, ruffling the fifteen-year-old's hair, "I guess we'll have to see."

"District 2's on!" squeaked Aristotle, and the others went silent to watch Cerena Mai select the tributes. Cerena had started low, in District 9, and worked her way up the ranks. She had started escorting a year before Namibia, and though the mentors seemed slightly lukewarm on her, she did her job and did it well. It was an honor she deserved, escorting for District 2. She wasn't a very flashy person, in a simple black dress and black heels. Some people liked to remain plain and simple like that, but Cupid couldn't help but think she was about to attend a funeral.

"Janea Narang!"

The girl stepped out from the 18-year-old section, a charming smile on her face. She certainly put effort into her appearance for the day, hair curled and make-up done neatly. However, soon, she was volunteered for. The voice was huge, but the cameras panned around, confused, until they found the source, dashing up on stage. Next to Janae, this girl looked plain old tiny, but had a sort of fighting spirit around her.

"She's small," Aristotle remarked.

"True, but some of the scariest District 2 girls have also been the tiniest."

"Yes, and your name is?"

"Dania Lidano!" her voice boomed, a voice that certainly didn't seem like it could belong to someone so tiny. Cerena gave a nod and went to the other reaping bowl without another word. She pulled a name out of the bowl, while Cupid wondered if maybe her solemn attitude would get her demoted. District Two needed someone just as excited about the Games as they were, perhaps her son would have been a better fit. He would have to suggest that to Lux next time they were together.

Cerena reached in to pick another name. "Hyacinthus Angelov!"

There came a whirlwind of hooting and cheers as the boy stepped out from the eighteens section, beaming and walking to the stage with a lazy swagger in his step.

"Are there any volunteers?" Cerena asked, to which there was a resounding response.

"Did a girl say that?!" Aristotle asked, shocked. Cupid also thought the voice sounded a little bit too high to be male.

The cameras caught the volunteer, who was not what District 2 tributes usually looked like. With the cameras on, Cupid thought the tribute could have been male, possibly, they were flat and had a masculine edge to them, maybe their voice was just high… Aristotle was speechless as the newest tribute crossed the stage, sporting army boots and a dress.

"And, um, you are…?"

The newest District 2 tribute took the microphone straight from Cerena's hands.

"Hello Panem!" she said, a radiant smile on her face. "I'm Acacia Blasdell, and I am honored to be serving as your newest tribute! I am neither a boy nor a girl, though I prefer feminine pronouns, so I'll just be Acacia from 2, and that'll be how it is! It's the Hunger Games!" the crowd started cheering to that, and Acacia's shouting caused the microphone to screech as she handed it back to Cerena.

"I'm confused," Aristotle said, looking puzzled.

Piccolo and Viola explained a brief synopsis of what it means to be nonbinary, specifically agender like Acacia, and briefly about her preferred pronouns. Cupid didn't consider himself an expert on that kind of thing, but followed what they were saying well enough.

"So she's like Trixie?" Aristotle asked, confused.

"Well, er, not exactly," Q said, twirling one of the four-year-old's pigtails around his finger. "Kind of. They're showing District Three now, I'll try to explain it more later."

"Okay!" Aristotle said happily, turning his attention back to the television.

District Three was shiny and new thanks to the money it had gotten from being a University District. They were quickly becoming a District of education more prominently than a District of technology, and both coexisted in perfect harmony. The District had an influx of extra money, and because of that many of its members were looking healthier and better off. Hopefully this would mean another Victor for them soon. Cupid was one of the first classes to go through University there. Yeah, that was back when Leviticus was still alive. No matter.

Alanena Tara Harmony, the blue version of Namibia (but luckily not so bad: at least the younger escort is open to the idea of different shades of blue), was pretty sweet and soft-spoken as she greeted the District and immediately went to pick the first name.

"Kaelys Deinard," was the name she read calmly. A girl quickly exited the eighteen-year-old section.

The girl that nodded before exiting the eighteen-year-old section had brown, wavy hair and pale skin. She had a sweet face, that remained surprisingly calm. She wore a thick cargo coat that was far too big for her, looked to be made for a man, along with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She remained calm as she walked up to the stage, keeping her chin up. Alanena guided her to her spot. Nobody volunteered for her, of course.

"She's too sweet," Aristotle said right off the bat.

"She's keeping her cool though," Numitor remarked, brushing the bangs out of his eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like to say now that you've received this high honor?" Alanena asked on the screen.

Kaelys's voice remained smooth. "This is not the end of us," she said.

Numitor provided a low whistle.

"She's kind of feisty!" Aristotle observed.

"That's not necessarily a good thing, right Q?" Tor glanced up at him.

"That's right, kiddo."

Alanena quickly moved onto the boy's section. "Jace Galilei." The crowd went eerily silent as the cameras found the boy in the sixteen-year-old section. He had olive skin, as was typical of the District, but much of it was scarred, especially around his eyes, which were cloudy.

"He's blind?" Aristotle asked, noticing how he used a stick to walk.

"That's right."

"Could he get help in the Capitol?"

"It looks like it was due to a physical injury as opposed to a birth thing, so-"

Suddenly, though, he stopped in his tracks as another voice shouted out, "I volunteer!" It didn't take much time at all to find the boy who said it, considering he had hair so red that a Capitolite would be jealous. He quickly mounted the stage as the other boy, Jace, was led back to his spot.

"Oh, yes! And your name?" Alanena was trying not to seem too excited. Kaelys gave her new District partner a look.

"Becquerel Pierre," he said. Cupid could tell he was making an effort to speak from his chest to deepen his voice, but other than that the boy passed remarkably, so remarkably that nobody even mentioned that he wasn't cis. So remarkably that Cupid wondered if maybe he was actually cis. Maybe. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides but his chin was up, copying the dignity of his District partner. "I will bring honor back to my District."

"A volunteer!" Aristotle said, eyes wide, "From the outer Districts! I want him to win! Q, can you make sure he wins?!"

"I don't have _that_ much power, kid," Q said, patting his head. "Sorry."

"He could really hit sponsors, though," Numitor said. "He looks strong and like a fighter."

"Very true. We'll have to see where he goes."

District Four was next. This was another exciting District for the Capitol.

Blushina Sopheles was thrown in at the young age of twenty-six because of her bubbly nature. The woman had slightly elfish features and looked extremely excited to be escorting for the beautiful fishing District. She picked the girl first as always.

"Corinna Filipov!" The girl stepped out of the fifteen-year-olds, looking pretty shy and bashful. She looked pretty poor, too. Aristotle watched excitedly as she was quickly volunteered for by a girl with glossy, slightly wavy hair that appeared golden in the sunlight. She was of average height and sturdy, and Q could guess that she'd trained for this.

"Your name, dear?"

"Luna Pentti," she said, in a voice that was devoid of excitement and reeked of raw determination. She was going to be hard to subdue, that was for sure.

"Woah, she's so cool!" Aristotle said excitedly. "I wonder if she cuts men's heads off with a big sword!"

Q laughed a bit and ruffled his hair. "We'll find out soon."

The boy was picked soon after.

"Palaemon Stern!" The boy stepped out of the sixteen-year-old section, eyes wide. They were the same sea green as was common in his District, but soon he was volunteered for by a seventeen-year-old boy that didn't look particularly strong. He must have been at least half a foot taller than his District partner, as he was taller than average, with tawny hair that curled wildly and bright green eyes.

"Wonderful! And you are?"

"Nerio Thames!" he said, to which the crowd applauded.

"He's skinny," Aristotle said, disappointed.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have hidden muscle?" Tor asked, considering carefully.

"He looks pretty twig-ish to me," Q shrugged, and both boys ate his words. "I'm not right about everything though," he quickly added, though part of him reveled in the boys' awe of him.

"Maybe he'll be good for something," Numitor said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Aristotle said disappointedly, "Or maybe his District partner will cut his head off with a big sword!" he added, sounding much more enthusiastic.

As Piccolo and Viola provided some more commentary, Trixie snuggled into Q's arms and dozed off. He had no idea how she could possibly do so with Piccolo and Viola talking in the background, though.

District Five was next. Even that District was looking better and better each year of reapings.

Maxim, the escort for that District, had reached his twentieth year of escorting. He was one of the more… Decorated Capitolites, with his skin shining bronze, lips, eyebrows, and facial hair silver, a rainbow afro on his head, and, of course, his signature thick sunglasses. Cupid had no idea how he could see in the dark with them, but he wore them all the time. He was wearing his typical outfit: suit and tie, white pants, one pink boot and one blue, the dragon belt he's known for wearing, and that weird little staff he has with the dragon's head. It changes colors through the rainbow, both the staff itself and the dragon's eyes. He was certainly an odd man, but Cupid didn't mind as long as he did his job. In fact, Maxim was probably the most intelligent escort, maybe the most intelligent person working for the Games, not to mention that the mentors from 5 liked him.

He picked the first name from the males' section as Aristotle watched excitedly.

"Joule Barode!"

There was a brief pause before a boy stumbled out of the eighteen-year-old section and slowly walked up on the stage. His hair was also a reddish color, the kind that came naturally, that was chin-length. His eyes were a nice, gentle light blue color, and he looked to be somewhat tall. However, he was shaking as he slowly stood next to the escort.

"Is there anything you want to say after having received this honor?" Maxim asked, giving the boy a gentle, fatherly look. Joule swallowed, quivering worse, but swallowing his tears.

"Aw, I was hoping he'd be cool," Aristotle pouted.

"At least the waterworks haven't started," Numitor pointed out, and Q agreed. He had somewhat of a chance at least, if he could get his act together.

"And now for our girl!" He reached into the bowl and chose a name. "Dyna Hoalburn!"

There was a long pause as the cameras zeroed in on District Five's newest tribute. Cupid noted that Dyna looked quite masculine, with a flat chest and short, dark hair. They had light brown skin and brown eyes that are widened in fear.

"Come on," Numitor murmured, "Go on, get up on that stage…" It was hard to watch the tributes that froze up so badly, and even harder to watch the ones that had to be helped by Peacekeepers. Unfortunately, it appeared that was what it was going to come to, because a group of white-clad soldiers found Dyna in the crowd and gave them a nudge forward. Dyna walked to the stage, but they still didn't look quite… With it.

"Yes, there we are. Well, is there anything you'd like to say, Dyna?"

"I-I…" their throat caught and their lips failed to form words, so Maxim ended the reaping there.

"They're both toast," Aristotle said decidedly.

"Not necessarily," Q said.

"But it is likely, right Q?"

"Depends on how quickly they can gather their bearings."

"Boring," sighed Aristotle.

District Six was next. Jovia Amii Kincandine was in the midst of her tenth year with the job. She was as extravagant as ever, wearing a mint green ballgown covered from top to bottom in rainbow pearls. Her fuchsia hair was intricately-braided as always, her eyes altered to be teal. She looked like a beanstalk she was so tall, especially with her signature teal heels, he make-up very silver and very heavy. Cupid didn't understand the appeal of all that make-up, though he'd be lying if he said he didn't like guys that could pull off lipstick and eyeliner.

She was just as energetic as always, greeting the District cheerfully before picking the boy tribute first.

"Rigley Fidler!"

There was a pause as Panem's newest tribute realized what had happened to him. The cameras found him in the crowd of eighteen-year-olds, where he quickly shook off the shock that had widened his brown eyes and walked slowly to the stage. He was a looker, with shaggy brown hair and just enough stubble on his chin to look slightly rugged but not creepy.

"Maybe he'll be cool!" Aristotle said.

"He seems a bit like a shocked zombie," Tor murmured. "Are we sure he's not high?"

Q laughed, trying to ignore the fact that Leviticus would have said the same thing. "We can never be completely sure with District 6," he said, turning his attention back to the reaping.

"Welcome Rigley! Is there anything you'd like to say?" Jovia asked, a smile still on her face.

There was a pause, but before she took the microphone away, he quickly choked out, "Riggs."

"What's that?"

"Riggs. Call me Riggs."

"Of course! Well, let's get you a District partner, Riggs!" She walked over to the girls' bowl and picked a name. "Desiree Menghiasi!"

There wasn't too much of a pause before a girl with a ponytail of black hair stepped out of the fifteens section. She was wearing eyeglasses that appeared to be made from plastic, a scarf, and had what appeared to be some temporary tattoos. Q could tell they were fake because they were ever-so-slightly cracked, and now he'd had plenty of experience with temporary tattoos. Trixie loved them.

The girl was small, so small she looked younger than fifteen, but wasn't too skinny. She kept a pretty solid poker face as she mounted the stage.

"Welcome Desiree! Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"I intend on being your next Victor," the girl said, voice totally steady and calm.

"Wow! She's _awesome_!" Aristotle said.

"She's on the young end, but fifteen-year-olds have won before," Numitor said.

"That's right. I wouldn't count her out so quickly."

"Wow, I hope District Seven's tributes are cool like Desiree!" Aristotle said as the scene switched to the lumber District.

Anakyn Skyavich was the escort for District Seven. This was his second year escorting, and he was the youngest escort at nineteen years old. It was strange to think that he was closer in age to fifteen-year-old Numitor than to the twenty-eight year old Cupid.

He hadn't intended on being an escort, but from modelling clothes that were advertised in the Districts, he became somewhat of a celebrity. He had escorted for Eight, and the Districts liked him so he was promoted to Seven this year. His hair, which had been dyed colors that looked natural, was messily perfect, the long strands braided and the rest in soft, ruffled waves. The circuit-like tattoos that swirled on the left side of his face accentuated his eyes, so blue it looked fake, though he had said in multiple interviews that it was all natural.

His outfit just added to his edgy, punk-ish aesthetic: a black leather jacket with small studs and tiny spikes on the shoulders, a burgundy red shirt decorated with bleach and neon paint splatters, faded black skinny jeans, black leather fingerless gloves, a braided leather and bronze necklace, and black ankle boots with small spikes arranged into a star pattern. Cupid noted that those boots would hurt if he actually wanted to use them. He was mixed between Districts and Capitol, but President Blossius didn't mind. If the Districts saw him choose the Capitol over them, that would only solidify the Capitol's power more. He was just a kid, he was pretty soft-natured and kind, and the mentors liked him. The Capitolites loved it when he and Helen went for a Sunday stroll around the Capitol, or when he and Gian modelled together. And oh, how the paparazzi went nuts when he went out for coffee with Philander Markov, Pluto Nicastro, and Thorlief Nazario. It was in every magazine for weeks.

He selected the male tribute first. "Syca Gallen."

A fifteen-year-old emerges, with curly, reddish brown hair that almost touched his shoulders, freckles, and gray eyes. He looked somewhat young, but as the youngest age in the bunch, that was to be expected. He looked nervous, tears pushing out of his eyes and falling down his cheeks.

"Darn," Aristotle said, shaking his head.

"He's gonna have a lot of work to do if he wants to have a shot," Numitor said. "Can you believe he's my age? That must be…"

"Never mind that, Tor. He'll get back up." He looked to be scanning the crowd with misty eyes.

"Welcome Syca. Is there someone you're looking for?"

"My sister," choked the boy, and Anakyn let him be after that, giving his shoulder a squeeze for reassurance as he went to choose the girl.

"Persei Holloway," Anakyn announced.

There was a bit of a pause as the crowd parted for a fifteen-year-old with wide brown eyes. Her face was covered in freckles and framed by curly brown hair. She was also quite tall for her age and looked skinny. She started to the stage without Peacekeeper help, stumbling a bit on the way. Aristotle laughed when she almost fell. "Why do tributes always forget how to walk?" he asked, amused.

"It's very shocking to be reaped," Q said, ruffling his hair.

"Must be," murmured Numitor.

"Welcome, Persei. Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

"I… I'll win." She looked like she'd seen a ghost, but the District tried to show some vigor in sending their tributes off.

"Dang, they weren't any fun," sighed Aristotle. "Bec's gonna pound them and Luna will cut their heads off with her giant sword."

"Don't count them out yet," Q said, as the scene switched to District Eight.

Bonita Beauxford was on her third year escorting. Her hair was in a neat bun, a flower in it as well to match her long, floral-printed dress and the butterfly tattoo on her cheek. She was a pretty simple woman, though, other than that. She was obviously unhappy to be where she was, as she practically shouted into the microphone, worse than Acacia, causing it to screech as she stomped over to the girls' bowl and chose a name.

"Ester Perliam! Let's go Ester, now!"

A girl with dark skin and thick, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail stepped out of the group of sixteen-year-old girls, looking shocked. Within her brown eyes was pure, unfiltered fear as she slowly joined Bonita up on the stage. She looked so small up there, as she was shorter and skinnier than average.

"Alright, now, tell us why you're worth our time," Bonita demanded of her newest tribute.

"I…" she was still shocked. "I'll fight."

" _Boring_!" Aristotle said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe she has a chance," Numitor said. "You never know."

Bonita chose the male tribute next. "Semper Celandine!"

There was a pause before the crowd opened up for a boy with dark brown hair and wide gray eyes. He looked young and innocent, his face dotted with freckles, and looked a combination of worried and shocked.

"Come on Semper, we haven't got all day."

The boy started walking, biting his lip.

"He's sad too!" Aristotle said.

Cupid glanced over at Numitor, who was biting his lip. "He's my age," the boy said, flipping hair out of his eyes. " _He's_ going to go into an Arena?"

"The Districts are paying the price for their transgressions," Cupid said, noticing how off-put Tor seemed.

"Talk now!" she demanded. "Why do we care?"

"I…" he bit his lip, glancing up as if something terrible was going to attack him. "This isn't real. It can't be."

"Of course," Bonita said, scowling as she introduced them.

"They're both dead meat too," Aristotle said.

"Not necessarily. Maybe they'll pick themselves up," Q said.

"Yeah. Ester could get it together. And Semper's cute, that'll help him."

"Oh?" Q glanced over, and Numitor's face burned.

"Never mind," the boy muttered.

"I know what you meant," Cupid assured him, ruffling his hair as District 9 appeared on the screen.

"Let's see who will try to fill Prentice's footsteps!" Aristotle said. "Hopefully they're better than District Eight and Seven!"

"Nothing was wrong with Eight," Numitor said. "Or Seven."

Demetrius Romano Constantine was the exact opposite of his mother. Cerena Mai, the escort from District Two, had given up her position in Nine to escort for Two, and her son had gotten the job. Unlike his mother, though, who wore drab funeral garb, Demetrius was wearing a bright pink suit and a tall pink top hat with an arrow decoration. His skin was dyed ghostly white and his hair was dyed pink for the occasion. It was something that would make his father, District Seven stylist Ashton Constantine, throw up, probably, as he had a tamer taste. He started the reaping quickly and selected the male first.

"Jasper Pearce!"

Immediately, the majority of eyes turned to a boy from the eighteen section. He looked athletic, though not strong, with a bit of a baby face countered by some dark brown stubble, the same color as his hair, which stood up in the front. He had dark brown eyes that were still slightly shocked, even when his lips pulled into a smile and he joined Demetrius on the stage.

"So, what makes you think you're Victor material?" Demetrius asked, sounding bored.

"Right now, the only material I feel like I'm made of is jello!" he joked, which caused Aristotle to laugh, Cupid to chuckle, and Numitor to offer a tiny smile.

"I like him!" Aristotle said, grinning.

"I'm just a bit nervous," Jasper said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Of course you are," Demetrius said, not playing this game with him and going to choose the female tribute.

"Juniper Fisher!"

The girl mounted the stage. She was a bit thin, with pale skin and light brown hair that was cut asymmetrically, so that it went to the bottom of her neck on the right and to her cheek on the left. She flipped the short side out of her eyes as she mounted the stage. She looked so hollow, like the light wasn't on in her mind.

"What do you have to say?" he asked.

"I'll try my best," she mumbled.

"She's dead meat," Aristotle said in a sing-songey voice.

"Try to be optimistic," Numitor said quietly. He looked almost as hollow as her by this point. This was normal in kids that were the same age as tributes, especially kids that had lost so much like him. Cupid knew he'd outgrow it, see the beauty of the Games through new eyes when he was older. As long as he just kept his mouth shut about it and didn't get into real treasonous trouble. Cupid had made a promise to Leviticus when he agreed to be these kids' godfather. He'd protect them and take care of them if their parents couldn't, for any reason. He had been reluctant to keep it, but here he was.

Piccolo and Viola chattered about them, but neither of them mentioned how incredibly awkward the District partners looked shaking hands.

District Ten was next. Charlemagne Richie was a well-liked escort, and everyone loved it when he and his wife Jingle were seen with Arthur Warrick and his husband Caspar in the Capitol. Charlemagne had long hair dyed blue and green, with synthetically green eyes. He had been escorting for twenty-one years now and though he could have been promoted, he just didn't want to. He was wearing a patterned suit and bowtie. Charlemagne was famous for his collection of hundreds of bowties, and everyone loved it when he lent one to Arthur or Caspar for a fancy event. Arthur loved the escort, and the other Ten Victors were fairly warm on him as well.

He remained relaxed as he selected the female tribute. "Miya Bellion!"

A girl walked out calmly from the eighteen-year-old section. She looked tense, especially like her jaw was clenching, but she kept a smile on her face. She had brown skin and dark brown hair, and stood tall, though she was fairly skinny.

"She seems alright!" Aristotle said, smiling hopefully.

"Welcome Miya! Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Miya kept the smile on, but the tension didn't fade. "District 10, I'm honored to serve as one of your tributes."

Aristotle cheered, and Numitor gave a small smile. "She could take this home."

"We'll see," Cupid said, as the male tribute was chosen.

"Cross Chadwick."

A boy emerged from the seventeens section, with short, dark brown hair and deep, dark brown eyes. He kept a perfectly straight face as he walked up to the stage, cracking his knuckles. Before he could make it, though, a voice boomed in the crowd.

"I volunteer!"

Aristotle gasped as a huge guy emerged from the eighteen section. He had light brown skin, black hair, and beady brown eyes, but surely the only thing anyone in the Capitol would care about was his build. His muscles were made even more noticeable by tattoos on his arms, and he looked pretty mighty and brutish.

"A District 10 volunteer! Wow! He could strangle that guy from Four with his bare _hands_!" Aristotle said excitedly. "He's _amazing_!"

"Wow," Numitor murmured.

"He is certainly strong," Cupid agreed. This would certainly spice things up.

"Wonderful, a volunteer. Your name?"

"Attila of the Windy Plains."

"Wow, his name's so cool!" Aristotle said. "He's gonna win! That one!"

"Don't judge so quickly," Numitor said. "Other tributes might have a chance too."

"Maybe, but I think he's gonna win!"

"It's very possible," Cupid said, as the scene changed to District 11.

Bonaventure Abatescianni was in his fifth year escorting for District 11. He was towering and tall, sturdy and strong, really intimidating. Today, his hair was dyed black, and he wore a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off the tattoos on his arms, black pants, and a red neckerchief. His voice boomed as he welcomed the District and went to pick the male tribute first.

"Oleander Kirk!"

The boy quickly runs out of the seventeens section and up onto the stage. He had dark skin and short, dark, curly hair. He might have had a chance at sponsors if tears weren't pouring out of his eyes like a faucet. Bonaventure looked slightly pitiful as he asked if Oleander had anything to say, to which he sniffled and shook his head.

"And we have our first crier," Aristotle sighed.

"Criers have won in the past," Cupid reminded him.

"Attila will strangle him with his bare hands," Aristotle said. "Or Luna will cut his head off with her sword."

Bonaventure quickly went to pick the girl, as Oleander tried not to sob out loud.

"Daria Junius."

That name didn't sound like it belonged in District 11 at all. The cameras quickly found the girl, who was in shock. Cupid realized how he knew the name, her parents were Peacekeepers stationed in District 11 to quell the uprisings that had shaken the District. But…

"No. She's from the Capitol. Cupid! That's not possible!" Numitor said, his eyes wide.

"I… If she was born in District 11, it is."

She looked like a Capitolite. She _was_ a Capitolite. Her red hair was put up in a high ponytail, her eyes too beautifully blue and golden-specked to be from District 11. Her skin was flawless, altered to look tan, she was of average height and weight for her age… She wasn't from the District of rebellion. She was from the Capitol.

"This is a mistake!" Numitor said. "It has to be!"

"I'm afraid not…"

"What if-"

"Tor, you're safe here. Alright, you were born in the Capitol. I was here for it," Q reassured him. _Every agonizing second of it,_ he thought. Numitor was still clearly bothered as Bonaventure asked Daria what she had to say.

"I love the Games and can't wait to be in them!" through her shock, she managed a bubbly smile.

"I love her!" Aristotle said. "Hopefully Attila doesn't strangle her! She's so pretty!"

Numitor paled slightly but didn't say anything else as the last District of reapings was shown.

Ambrose Gavriil Dionte had been escorting for two years now, and was still in District 12. They were pretty pissed when Demetrius got put in District Nine over them, but it was just how things worked out. Their hair was dyed bright red and kept in a buzzcut, and they wore their signature white fur coat, though it was already accumulating coal dust, much to their anger. They keep a very calm, relaxed façade as they greet the District. Their skin was golden, cheeks like bronze thanks to highlighter, eyes framed by black cat eyeliner.

They strutted across the stage to select the female tribute. "Ashlyn Bayard!" they announced.

The girl didn't take long to emerge from the seventeens section, stomping slightly in some attempt to cover anger. She kicks at a potted plant at the foot of the stage on her way up the steps, scowling. Her appearance: dull brown hair, tan skin, brown eyes, was so average, but the thing that made her memorable were the four red lines that ran down the side of her face.

"Nasty scars!" Aristotle said excitedly. "Wicked! Wonder how she got them! Maybe it was in a fight!"

"Interesting indeed," Cupid said. She was definitely hard to forget, which would work in her favor seeing as she was from District 12.

"Anything appropriate you would like to say?"

"Get the fuck away from me." Ambrose left her, looking more than a little freaked out at her scars and snappy attitude. Cupid wondered how she would handle the Q serum. It was bound to be fun to see the effects it had on such an unwilling subject.

"And the male." Ambrose went to the bowl for the boys. "Jacques Noir!"

The camera found the average-looking eighteen-year-old, with blond hair, ashy skin, and gray eyes. His shoulders went up and down as he sighed, slowly walking up to the stage. He seemed calm, yet sad.

"Well, he's not crying," Aristotle said. "He's still boring though."

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Jacques?" Ambrose asked him.

"Not that I can think of right now," he sighed. Amborse made effort not to make a face as they announced the tributes one last time. There was something about the way those two shook hands that made Cupid wonder if they may have known each other from somewhere as well.

Piccolo and Viola closed off the reapings with some more banter about the tributes and the excitement of unanswered questions before the program went back to a commercial for Stowers chocolates, which made Aristotle more antsy. Numitor quickly got up and went back to the kids' bedroom, biting his lip and closing the door behind him.

"Will you show me how to shoot now, Dad?!"

Both Aristotle and Cupid froze.

"Oh, um…" Q bit his lip, still in shock. "Uh, sure." He placed Trixie gently on the couch and gave a glance to Numitor's room, deciding this was something he'd just need to cry out on his own, before grinning and picking up the archery set. "Let's go set this up out back."

"Alright!" Aristotle scurried out the front door, and Cupid followed him, grinning. Today had been a day of victory, and a new beginning.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Phew. This was a long one. Don't feel bad if you have to read it in chunks. I just had too much fun writing the reapings I guess, haha. And Numitor and Aristotle. If you liked this view of Cupid's family I might use them some other time, if I can! Also, I know what you're thinking, two in one day!? But actually I had the mentor part written already and about half of this one before today, so I'm not THAT crazy fast.**_

 _ **So, I hope you liked this chapter and the insights we got on our tributes! From here on out, each tribute will get one more POV before the Games begin, wow, so exciting! Also, I think I'll put up a poll for favorite tributes, so watch out for that!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Which escort(s) would you like to see more of, and which stood out and why? Are there any reapings that surprised you (in terms of reaped/volunteered, or reactions, etc.)?**_


	20. Train Ride: Consequences

-June Fisher, 18, District 9-

Connie may not have known it, but she had somewhat, inadvertently told the future. She kept on telling June that she'd "end up dead in an alley by the end of the year." Well, now death seemed like a very real threat. When June's name was called, she shut off. She had no idea what was really happening. It was like her spirit had flown outside of her body, like it existed on an entirely different plane as she walked up to the stage. In fact, she hadn't even realized it was Jasper of all people that had been reaped beside her until it was far too late.

He was _really_ mad that night. The worst part of it all was that June didn't have a single memory about what he'd said. She was still out of it when he arrived. She had no idea what his last words to her had been. She barely remembered he was even there, she thought it was all a dream, but when the girl asked her… What was that girl's name again? June couldn't remember anything.

Jasper avoided her from that day on. He wasn't mean to her, he could never be mean, even if she had hurt him and broken his trust completely. He just pretended she didn't exist. June's chest burned with fire when she saw him. All she wanted was to go and fling herself at his feet, begging for him to take her back, to forgive her, but she knew that it wouldn't be fair to ask him to do that. It wasn't fair that she'd hurt the one she loved. It was nobody's fault but hers. June could blame the alcohol all she wanted, but she knew that it was still her fault. There was no running and hiding from the fact that she had ruined it all.

From there, June's will to do anything slowly withered away, like a dried leaf that had been crumpled up and broken, the pieces carried away by the wind. She had spent countless nights awake, thinking through everything she would say to him if she could, if she could just have the chance to let him know how sorry she was.

But the truth was, the infallible June Fisher was afraid.

She was fucking terrified. For every sentence she planned to say, she could just imagine him giving angry responses, retorts, he would tell her that she has no excuses, that only an idiot would go back to a cheater, that she had hurt him and that she had ruined his trust, that he always knew she had a lot of balls, but only she would have the audacity to come back to him after what she'd done. She had these conversations in her head, but they all ended with him yelling angrily and her being cornered with no retorts. The very thought of Jasper being angry at her was enough to make her throat catch. She didn't want to see it when she was sober, vulnerable. At least ignoring each other hurt less.

Alright, maybe it didn't hurt less, but the hurt was more manageable. A dull ache in her belly all the time seemed much more tolerable than a fiery inferno that destroyed her and reduced her to nothing. Maybe it would be easier to just take it all at once, then she could heal for good and be okay again forever, but in reality, June was far too afraid to light that match.

And now, they were here. They were sitting in the same train car, both of them on their way to Hunger Games. And, if that wasn't bad enough, the Quell twist was all hyped up about love. Talk about dramatic irony.

She wondered if Jasper would expose her. Of course she deserved it, she was a cheater. She had made a mistake, and the consequences for that were going to continue to haunt her for the rest of her life. She couldn't change that, no matter how much she regretted it, no matter how much good she did, how much she tried to change, she would always be a cheater. She wouldn't blame Jasper for exposing her to not only the other tributes, but the entire nation. She would probably do the same thing, if she were in his shoes. She couldn't blame him for what he was feeling because she would have felt the same way.

But, as much as they tried to play strangers, June _knew_ Jasper. They had been dating for three years, they had built and blossomed a beautiful relationship. He was her best friend, her partner in crime, he was the one she trusted, the one she told her secrets to, the one she cried in front of. They had both poured so much into each other, for a couple of days there it had honestly felt like they were unified, one spirit, two bodies. It had felt like that was it. She would never find someone else who understood her like he did, she would never find anyone else, she'd never love anyone else, because she'd found the one she was made for.

June _knew_ Jasper. She knew that he wouldn't expose her. He was too good and kind for that. He cared about everyone, even people that hurt him like she did.

They were here. They were in the same train, sitting together. This moment was real. They were both here. The car was empty, as Demetrius had gone to check on the refreshments, and the mentors hadn't yet come to greet them. She could say something. She could start the conversation now, try to start fixing this, try to start healing… She had the words on the tip of her tongue, but June's body wouldn't let her say them. Her stomach was doing flips, she was shaking with nerves, trying not to look at him, as he wasn't looking at her. He probably felt nothing, but June was overwhelmed. She was shaking, her stomach bubbled with anxiety and ached she was so… So overwhelmed by pure fear and anxiety.

Demetrius came back into the room, eyeing up both of his tributes but mostly looking bored. Before he could open his huge Capitol mouth, though, the mentors entered the room. Vale came in first, his face set in a determined expression, and Prentice behind him, an unnaturally wide grin on his face.

"Oh, yes, about time you showed up," Demetrius said, tsking the mentors and shaking his head, which looked ridiculous in his bright red and pink getup.

"Don't tell me what to do child," Vale snarled.

"One of you two needs to win so I can be promoted as fast as possible," Demetrius said, rolling his eyes and going to get food.

"Ignore him," Vale said. "Ugh, he makes my skin crawl!"

Neither of the tributes spoke. June wanted to, but she couldn't make herself. She was too scared to even remotely feel like she was talking to Jasper, even in a group setting. Being a weak bitch could really be frustrating sometimes. June never thought she'd consider herself a weak bitch, but that was what she was. It was exhausting. She just got so tongue-tied. She wasn't afraid of Jasper, she could never be afraid of Jasper. He had loved her so well. No, she was mostly just scared of the confrontation, she was afraid of their neutral relationship officially turning off for good. She wasn't ready to take that yet.

"I'm Vale," he said. "That's Prentice. Don't worry, he's more scared of you than you are of him," he said, maybe as an attempt at a joke. From what June had seen of Vale, he didn't seem to be much of a joking type, or at least, not until last year when Prentice won. All three of the teens tried to give a small laugh.

"Jasper." He didn't sound like himself, but June didn't blame him. She didn't feel like herself either. He gave her a blank glance before focusing on the mentors. June couldn't help how her heart pounded when he looked at her. She'd almost expected him to give her some kind of nonverbal cue or something. But no. It was barely a passing glance.

"Juniper. But, um, I usually go by June."

Vale sat on the same couch as June, while Prentice sat by Jasper, even reaching out and giving him a very nervous handshake. "I think I recognize you," he said.

"Oh, um, I help out as a teacher sometimes… And, um… I babysit? Emma." June wanted to jump in. Ask how Emma was, what he'd been up to, how his students were, and his parents, Trevor, _anything_ just to have some kind of communication with him. But she held her place.

"Oh, the Rall's daughter, right?"

"So you do know them," Jasper said.

"Yeah, she's friends with my pipsqueak. I mean little sister. Cool though! That's pretty neat." His smile quickly faded, replaced by him biting his lip nervously.

"Hey, don't worry Prentice," Jasper said, putting a hand on the older boy's shoulder. "You're going to be a great mentor."

"Sorry! Ah! I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around!" Prentice looked flustered, so Vale spoke next.

"It'll be alright though. We're going to bring in the team effort to get District Nine another Victor this year. Keep the streak going. And I think either of you is plenty capable!" Vale actually sounded somewhat enthusiastic. Maybe this would be June's chance to connect with Jasper again. "We have some information that is pretty valuable, all thanks to Prentice," the older mentor continued.

Prentice sunk a bit. "Oh yeah. Right."

"Actually, um, maybe we could be mentored separately?" Jasper asked, and June could feel her heart wither and sink to her stomach. That was confirmation, then. He didn't want to talk to her, he didn't care about working through this. "No offense, though, I just think…"

Prentice looked even more terrified, if possible. "Um, sure." Jasper stood up and his mentor slowly got to his feet, the two teenage boys going into another car together.

Vale looked concerned, but once they were gone turned his attention back to June. "Don't take it personally, June, it-"

June took a pillow and hugged it. It didn't make her any less upset, but she liked it. "It is a personal thing, though!" she said, before noticing how her mentor seemed to draw back at her raising her voice. "Sorry," she said. "This isn't the first time Jasper Pearce and I have been together." Vale gave an encouraging look, so June kept talking. However, June wasn't ready to share the nitty gritty details of her personal life with someone she barely knew, so she just swallowed the tears that were pushing at her throat and said, "I'm just nervous for the Quell twist. Falling in love, you know? Especially because Jasper and I… Are exes."

Vale looked genuinely surprised. "Oh…" The mentor could tell using context clues that the breakup had not been benevolent, so he didn't ask, which June was glad of. She wasn't going to open up so much to someone she barely knew. "Well, Miss Fisher, you're not going to like what I say next very much, but I want to plant this thought in you early."

"Um, okay…" June hated this stupid anxiety, but there was nothing she could do to control it or make it disappear. She just bit her lip and watched her mentor.

"The Capitol is no doubt going to eat up the fact that you're exes. And… The idea of the Games rekindling a lost love would no doubt make the crowds: and the President, probably: go absolutely _nuts_. The Capitol would eat it up, you and Jasper would be the poster children for the Games and the _power of love_ or whatever ridiculous shit they have planned. June… If you could get Jasper to fall for you again, or at least get him to play the part for the crowd, you two would be showered with every sponsor gift you could possibly want. You'd be crowd favorites. And being on Blossius's good side is a good thing." He paused, waiting for her to respond.

June swallowed hard. "You're right. I didn't like it."

Vale softened slightly, patting her shoulder. "It's not the only way you could win," he said. "But it would skyrocket your odds. You wouldn't have to take advantage of him. I'll talk to Prentice. He'll know it's an act just like you. No one of you will have an advantage over the other. I just have this feeling that if District 9 is a team, our chance for Victory goes up. This could be… No other District has this opportunity that I know of. Please, at least consider it."

The girl nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll consider it."

"Good. Now, have you tried the macaroons? They're delicious." Mentor and tribute took a break for a snack before thinking about strategy, Jasper, or the impending days of awkwardness, heartbreak, and doom that were to come.

* * *

-Attila of the Windy Plains, 18, District 10-

If there was one emotion Attila promised he would never feel, it was regret. He had never really cared about consequences, as that would entail thinking into the future, or worse, thinking into the past. Attila simply preferred not to do either. He would keep himself perfectly in the present. _Consequences_ implied that he would be thinking about some causation of an event, something that had already gone by, which was pointless. No progress would be made that way. Instead, he simply thought of them as obstacles he was facing, just like any other obstacles.

His District partner seemed alright, at least. Maybe she had taken part in training, maybe not. If she had, she'll join the Careers like he would, and if not, she'll probably just go off on her own and die somewhere.

Charlemagne gave some recommendations from the food table, but Attila had enough discipline to keep from eating sweets. He had no need for pointless sugar, unlike Miya and Charlemagne, both of who ate happily.

"What's District Ten like?" Charlemagne asked, to make conversation with the tributes.

"I liked it," Miya said, smiling slightly. "Probably not as great as a lot of other places, but it's… Home. I couldn't imagine being from anywhere else."

"Attila?"

"I could imagine being from District Two."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I have Capitol lineage, way far back."

"How interesting! I can understand why you volunteered, if you feel so in touch with District Two." Charlemagne glanced at the door.

He asked a couple more questions, most of which Miya answered, before he stood up, looking somewhat worried. Attila barely had time to note the things his District partner said, but soon they didn't seem so important. "I'm going to see what's holding the mentors up so long. Please, excuse me." The man left the two teens alone again. Attila felt a tug in his gut, and got to his feet to follow where the escort had gone.

"Are you sure you should leave the train car?" Miya asked, glancing around. The only other person in the room was an Avox, a teenage boy with red hair and freckles, his eyes downtrodden on the ground.

"I'm going to see what's going on," he said. He didn't invite her along, mostly because he didn't care whether or not she followed him, but also because he figured she'd just invite herself if she really cared. He followed out the doorway that Charlemagne had previously left through, and Miya didn't follow him.

Attila really couldn't sneak very well. He was a big dude, and his footsteps were heavy because of his muscle. Not to mention he was one of the most conspicuous people out there. Agile, nimble sneaking was not one of his strong suits. Luckily, though, he could hear the mentors talking, even if he couldn't see them.

"I told you this would happen!" came a man's voice, recognizable to be Arthur Warrick's. "I told you I told you _I told you_!"

"Just take the girl," Roxanne said. "You can handle her, I'll take the volunteer."

"That seems favorable," Charlemagne encouraged.

Arthur just cleared his throat, then there was a pause. "Okay." Attila wondered why they were so worked up about all of this. For him, volunteering wasn't any big thing. It was an instinct, a pull at his gut, the thing he figured he should do, and he followed it. Besides, he wasn't really intending on asking his mentor for much help. They'd probably talk at him, but ultimately Attila believed he knew what to do, and when it came to surviving, it was all instinctive. That's what he had, that's what he was good at. Following his instincts.

"Good. All Attila needs to do is get over whatever rash impulses he has, and then he'll be ready. His sword work is impressive."

"Wait… You know him? You… You watched him _train!?"_ Arthur exclaimed.

"I happened to stop by, yes."

"You can't mentor him then!"

"And why is that?"

"Because I refuse to bring us any closer to being Careers, that's why!"

"Arthur, I'm sure you would get along much better with Miya, maybe you should consider this," Charlemagne said gently.

"I refuse to let this District have that unfair of an advantage! I refuse to do anything else that reeks like Careers, or else soon we'll have Tartans in our hands and I don't think either of us can deal with that!"

"This is absurd. You're overcomplicating this," Roxanne said.

"I agree with Roxanne," Charlemagne said. "That doesn't usually happen, does it?" He was trying to lighten the mood, but the effort was in vain.

"I'll mentor the volunteer," Arthur said.

"That's not going to keep us from training. His parents are loaded rich, they're going to pour money into a real Training Center, with trainers from Two and real weapons, real dummies, the whole nine yards. They're going to do it! Our tributes will be respected, and our Victor's Village will be one of the most populated in all of Panem!" That sounded good to Attila. He didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want that for their home District. Frankly, it sounded great. "Just think about it, Arthur. Your little Lethia, never having to worry about being reaped. _Never_. There's a reason the Stowers children were registered in District One, not District Seven."

"Oh, yeah, while our children become bloodthirsty, excited killers! While our tributes get a reputation for playing dirty, while we have an unfair advantage just like we all called Prentice out for!"

"I didn't take part in most of that. I respect the kid, and you know why? Because he was loyal to his home, and did something ballsy, but didn't give up because he knew that it would give his District a better shot, his people a bigger chance of food and safety. Isn't that what you want? For rags families like your husband's to be fed?"

"We are not going to resort to this just to be Capitol lapdogs!" Arthur said.

"Arthur-"

"Charlemagne, please, you don't understand. Just… You're not going to like what you hear, alright? But I'm fucking sick of this."

"If kissing Blossius's ass is what it takes to get food for our starving, I will do it. I hate the Capitol too, but I want what's best for our District."

"So we just keep playing their Games? Keep sending children off to die?! I refuse to be their lapdogs."

"Oh really? Because you're already a Capitol lapdog. You canoodle with Capitolites all the _time_ , Arthur! After all, aren't you and Caspar just playing cheatsies on each other with one of them to stay on their good side?! You're Capitol whores just like Prentice!"

There was a pause. Attila wasn't very good at sensing emotions, but even he could feel the atmosphere become cold. He was hoping for a fight, but it appeared that it wouldn't come to that.

"Leave my brother-in-law out of this, please, Roxanne," Charlemagne said.

"Nobody is cheating on _anyone_!" Arthur sounded truly mad. Attila peeked through the doorway, and his face was red. But, of course the man's eyes looked teary. It was a shame, what vulnerability could do to otherwise good people. "Valenty loves both of us and we both love him, and each other, so leave him out of this! This has nothing to do with him, or Caspar!"

"Your daughter is going to grow up a Capitolite."

"It's better than her growing up a Career," Arthur said.

"Is it?" Roxanne asked. "Is it _really_?" Arthur was quiet, and he left the room quickly, not acknowledging Attila, even if he could see him.

Roxanne followed, rolling her eyes. When she noticed Attila, she blinked. "How long have you been there?"

Attila shrugged. "A while."

"Well, Arthur's officially your mentor. Good luck, kid." She gave Attila a clap on the back and kept walking, before she stopped again. "Oh, Miya. Didn't see you there."

Attila didn't even notice his District partner join the spying. She was lanky, lighter, better at being quiet and out of the way. "I saw enough…" she said.

"Good. Let's go talk strategy." The girls walked away together.

"Let's get you back to your proper car, Attila," Charlemagne said, guiding him back to where they had begun. "I'm sorry about what you heard. It's nothing against you."

Attila just shrugged again. "It's fine. I really don't care. I know what I have to do for myself better than anyone else could."

Charlemagne seemed surprised at his bluntness. "Oh. Alright then. Well, do you mind if I go check on him then? Unaccompanied this time?" he gave a look, and Attila just nodded.

"Sure. Is there a way you could get me some celery for a snack?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" the older man seemed glad he could do something for his tribute, and flipped the long mane of blue and green hair over his shoulder as he went to put in the order. "My oldest daughter loves celery. Do you eat yours with peanut butter?"

Attila could care less about Charlemagne's family, but he pretended he was listening closely. After all the conversation he'd just overheard, the last thing he cared about or wanted was more words.

"Not usually."

"Maybe you'll consider it sometime. It's quite good, really. Anyways, that order's been placed. I'll go see if I can't get Arthur out here to consult with you in a bit."

Attila just nodded as Charlemagne left. Soon, the redheaded Avox boy brought Attila his celery. He kept glancing down at Attila's arms, probably admiring the muscles or tattoos or something, who knew? Attila ate celery, one of the most cleansing foods he knew. Then, he sat down.

After hearing everything he had, the words and events were buzzing around in his head. It was a feeling that had become very unnatural, not to mention plain uncomfortable for him. He didn't like it, so as soon as he was done with his snack he knew he had to clear the buzz of the reaping and the conversation out of his head.

He put one of the couch cushions on the floor and sat on it, shifting and moving until he was comfortable, perfectly comfortable. Then, he closed his eyes, ignoring the blurs of green and blue out the window that were passing by. All that existed was him. All that mattered was his spirit inside of his body.

He didn't make an effort to take deep breaths like he sometimes did. Instead, he just stayed focused on himself, on his body, on his beating heart and his lungs expanding and contracting as he breathed. He focused entirely on feeling, how each breath felt, how each exhalation brought release to a breath. The meditation, as it always did, brought with it a sense of calming, and realigned him with himself. Nobody else mattered, not Miya, not Arthur or Charlemagne or Roxanne. He would just keep nodding when they talked at him, but ultimately he knew what had to be done for himself, and his instincts hadn't gotten him into too much trouble over the years. This would be no different.

"Attila?" the boy was slightly annoyed when his mentor entered, but just gave a nod. "I'm Arthur. I'm sorry about what you might have overheard."

"It's fine," Attila said.

"I really will do my best for you, I promise. I don't half-ass mentoring." Attila just nodded, and as Arthur talked some more, did the same. Attila picked up on about half of what Arthur was saying, but most of it was advice that he either already knew or already knew not to follow. He focused on the feeling of meditation, though now he couldn't close his eyes or zone out, he focused on his inner self, on the workings of his body, all of the parts and pieces working together to make him. The talk ended when Arthur gestured to the window. "We're arriving."

The Capitol was spectacular, and the crowds were already cheering. The train doors opened, and Miya went off first, giving the crowd a confident smile and walking with grace. Attila followed, playing his stone-cold card that was bound to win him sponsors.

When they reached the Justice Building, they were separated, not to meet again until chariots. However, instead of being styled right away, Attila was left sitting in a chair in the middle of a sanitary white room. His first instinct was to run the hell away from there, but when he tried to get up, cuffs bound his wrists to the chair handles. Attila's heart pounded as he struggled against the restraints, a process that continued until a man entered the room. He looked to be young-ish, with glinting purple eyes and red hair streaked with pink.

"Alright, here we have... District 10 Male, Attila of the Windy Plains, eighteen." He said it to the corner of the room, which must have had a camera or something, it was hard to see. Attila didn't notice, all he cared about was what was going on, and how he could get out. He thrashed angrily, trying to break free.

"So sorry to bind you. This will be much easier if you relax."

Attila wasn't really listening, though. He continued to fight as the man introduced himself and said who he was.

"No worries, Attila, this is all procedural. We're simply going to inject your tracker now. The first shot is a primer that will be used to activate the tracker when it is time for the Games to begin."

"What?"

"We are trying a new prototype this year, that will be injected in a different place than usual." The man, what was his name again, lowered the back of the chair. "Please lay on your stomach." The binds on Attila's wrists were let go. Attila knew better than to disobey. The pricks were felt on the back of Attila's waist, and was almost unnaturally painful.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" the man offered him a kind smile as some Peacekeepers entered the room.

"You will now be escorted to your styling room. May the odds be ever in your favor."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Hurrah, we're officially into the pre-Games! From here on out, each tribute will get one more POV before the Games begin of at least 2000 words. The list of whose POV happens when is up on the blog, along with some other drawings and bios for the Head Gamemakers/Capitolites! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the second look at June and Attila!**_

 _ **Also, there is a poll for your favorite tributes up on my profile, so if you haven't, you can vote on that!**_

 _ **I feel like there was something else I should tell you guys about relating to this story. But I can't put my finger on it. Hm. I'll probably think of it as soon as I post this chapter.**_

 _ **Anyways, I want to know what you think! Any predictions for the future? What'd you like? What'd you not like? Which mentors do you like? Which escorts are your faves? Let me know!**_

 _ **Chapter Questions (I'm asking one for each POV, but you have to answer both to get points, to hopefully quell the impending inflation): Do you think Vale is taking District 9 in the right direction? Do you believe Arthur was overreacting to the mentoring situation?**_

 _ **Next chapter, we'll hear from Dania and Desiree for the chariot rides! See you there!**_


	21. Dania, Desiree, Lux: Making Friends

-Dania Lidano, 18, District 2-

Dania wasn't sore at all as she was sent to the styling room. The District Two train was among the first to arrive, so she didn't have to wait long to get her tracker injected. When it happened, it hurt more than she thought it would. Even the strong, conditioned girl from 2 had to make an effort not to scream. The man who did it, Cupid, seemed fairly sorry. Plus, he was pretty no-nonsense, probably because there were a lot of tributes to get through. He left her laying on her stomach as the pain faded.

Dania had just closed her eyes when she heard the sound of high heels entering the room.

"There's our District 2 beauty!" said a voice that Dania didn't recognize but she knew had to be from the Capitol. She felt them come closer, and when she looked up, saw a young man with light blue hair and gray eyes peering down at her.

"Oh, she's awake after all! Up on your feet now!" Dania sat up slowly before she got a good look at her prep team.

"Nice to meet you dear, we're your prep team," said the only woman, who was dressed all in purple. "My name is Alexa, and these are my lovely brothers Achaicus and Anastius! Yes, we're triplets! We must get you to the prep room, Cambria is absolutely dying to meet you!" The two young men helped Dania off the chair before she walked ahead of them. She didn't need their help, she felt fine. Alexa made cheerful conversation as they walked. The two men were nice, but Alexa dominated the conversation. That was fine with Dania, though.

"How have you been enjoying the Capitol so far my dear? Isn't it simply beautiful?"

"Yeah, I've had a good time. I haven't gotten out and about much though."

"Well, I'm sure the crowds love you, you are from District Two!"

"Yeah, we're pretty awesome." Dania smirked pridefully as Alexa opened the door to her styling room. The tribute and her prep team entered the room.

"Now, it you don't mind stripping so we can get a look at what we have to work with."

Dania didn't really mind doing so, as she knew that her prep team was there to help. However, if they made one remark about her stature or really anything about her body image, she would not hesitate to defend herself. She was patient as her prep team swarmed around her, making minor adjustments here and there. They raved over her long, blonde hair, chattering about how it is District 1-level gorgeous, and oh the things they could do with it! They also raved about her pretty hazel eyes, her toned arms and legs from years of training. Dania certainly felt like a princess, and she loved that. She could be vicious, but she knew she was pretty and that she could use it.

After the triplets decided she was ready, she was wrapped up in a robe and sent to a small, sunlit room for lunch. There were sandwiches out, and Dania helped herself. Soon, she was joined by an older lady with multi-colored hair and two mismatched eyes.

"Hello Dania," she said. "My name is Cambria. I am your Head Stylist."

"Nice to meet you," Dania said. She puffed out her breast, trying to appear taller than she was. "I am going to bring honor to my District."

Cambria shook her hand, smiling. She didn't seem to look down on Dania, which caused the girl from Two to relax a bit.

"Sit with me, talk with me." The older lady took a sandwich, smiling at the girl. Dania relaxed into the comfortable chairs, knowing that cooperating was the only way to get good sponsors. The questions started out pretty general: _what is your favorite weapon? The triplets sure are loud, aren't they? Aren't these sandwiches simply delectable?:_ and got more personal. Dania could tell where the questions were leading, but she let the conversation have its course. The truth was that she wasn't afraid to tell her stylist about what she had at home. Cambria was only there to help her, after all, and thinking about Carlen and her parents only put more of a fire under her ass. She knew she had to get home, and that this twist wouldn't throw a wrench in her plans.

Dania was sipping some sweet, cold lemonade when Cambria asked the final question on her list, but only after dabbing her lips gingerly with a napkin.

"Dania Lidano, just how brave are you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How brave are you?"

"I'm practically fearless! …Why? That's… A bit of an odd question for a stylist to ask, I think…"

"You'll soon see why." She stood up and Dania did the same, handing her plate and glass to an Avox. She went back to the styling room, and Dania followed, wondering what kind of courage she could possibly need for the _tribute parade_.

It wouldn't take her long to figure that out.

* * *

-Desiree Menghiasi, 15, District 6-

Desiree had a good train ride. She was sad when she first stepped on, of course she was. Along the way, though, she had collected herself. The beginning of the train ride was spent in tense, awkward silence as both of them tried to work through what was going to happen to them. Desiree was staring at her token, a block that had been painted by Aimee, just for her.

Their escort, Jovia, had come on and introduced herself to the tributes, but soon could see that they weren't really in the mood. She remained bubbly, trying to get the tributes to eat, but neither was very hungry in the moment. The mentors soon came on and that's when things started to warm up. Gian got coffee, Anatoly got alcohol, and then they were both ready to talk to their tributes. It was nice having a young Victor, and he even recognized Aimee's signature on the block Desiree was holding. He was pretty nice, but it was still hard not to feel weird talking to some huge celebrity in such a bad situation. She was shy, and when Desiree was shy she had a habit of signing instead of speaking. That interested everyone on the train, even Jovia, and before they arrived she taught them numerous signs. That kind of broke the ice. Even Anatoly was interested, which was a surprise.

After they had arrived and the tracker had been injected, they took Desiree to a room and started working to make her beautiful. The stylists were very interested in the fake tattoos she had put on for the reaping, and didn't do anything to them.

"Would you want to get real tattoos if you won?" one of them asked her, and Desiree nodded. "I'd want to design it," she said, "Or my girlfriend design it. She's really talented."

"You have a… Girlfriend?"

"That's surprising?" Desiree raised an eyebrow at them as they ran a comb through her thick black hair. "Why is that?"

"It's just… You're so young…"

"I'm fifteen, it's not _that_ young." She was so sick of hearing that she was _so young_. Frankly, it was nobody's business how old she was. She was perfectly confident in who she was and who she chose to date. There was an awkward silence after that as the rest of Desiree's body hair was ripped off of her and she was left to sit in a stinky tub full of some rancid substance. She sat and simmered, as her raw, throbbing skin eventually stopped complaining.

As she sat, she wondered what her grandparents were doing, and how Johann was. She wondered if Aimee was with them, or at home with her own family. Or even out painting. Desiree had never made her promise not to. Part of her almost wished she had, though. It was dangerous to be out alone, and the last thing Desiree wanted was for the people she loved to be in danger.

Her mind wandered to what her chariot costume might be. She had no idea what was in store for her. She hoped it was tasteful. She liked the Capitol because it was very creative, like her, and hoped her costume could be something vibrant and colorful. She thought about what she would design, if she lived here and not back in District 6. What she could design if she came out of this alive. After all, this could be an opportunity. She just had to play her cards right, that was all. She could do it…. She had to.

She was taken out of the tub and wrapped up in a robe. It was soft and plushy, and felt like a big, dry blanket, as opposed to the scratchy rags that she'd used back home. Her hair was dried immediately, silky and totally untangled. It was amazing what they had here in the Capitol that would be unheard of to most District 6 citizens. And to think that it could all be hers…

It was then that she was shown her chariot costume. It was bright, which she liked. It was a bright red. The top was a suitcoat with a matching bright red skirt. The suitcoat was accented with gold and there was a little red hat with a gold pin on it. It was bright and vibrant for sure, even if it wasn't as assorted as she would have wanted. Her hair was put back in a braided bun, the hat gingerly pinned to her head. She stepped into the costume, and her Head Stylist zipped it up. Under the skirt she wore tights, and stepped into shiny red heels. It was strange for her to be in heels, but she didn't fight it. Her face was given new life with make-up, including shiny red lips and sparkly eyeshadow. The final touch was Desiree's favorite part of the outfit, a neckerchief colored pink, purple, and blue that was tied around her neck. That was the part that really made her smile. It was the perfect pop of color to an already vibrant outfit.

The girl in the mirror was not one Desiree recognized, but that wasn't a bad thing. She felt like a beauty queen, and confidence was always good. She felt like a piece of art. Sure, the lip gloss was sticky, and the sparkles itched, the heels were painful and the tights- ah!- they definitely rode up there- it was alright. She imagined Aimee watching at home and a smile spread across her face.

"I think we did a good job on this one!" the prep team all jabbered at once, admiring their work.

"Come with me child. Keep your chin up and smile." The Head Stylist left and Desiree followed, keeping her head up like she was instructed. Desiree wondered if she was as tall as Riggs yet. It was doubtful, but the heels made her feel powerful and tall. Soon, they saw the District Six group by the chariot. Riggs was already there. He looked taller than he did when he was reaped. His stubble was shaved off, and he was wearing a navy suit accented with gold like Desiree's outfit, and a hat that was navy with gold accents. In that get-up, and now that he seems to be more relaxed, he's about an inch taller than Gian.

"I will ride that horse bareback," Riggs was saying, "If you want a knight that rides a horse I will do it. Go on, say the word, don't think I won't!"

"You'd rip your pants," Gian said, taking a long sip of coffee. "Which would be funny but probably wouldn't do so well for sponsors."

"Go on, dare me, I will do it!" Riggs seemed serious. Desiree thought about how funny that would be. She'd want to see that, so she decided to enter the conversation.

"Do it, you won't!" Desiree said excitedly. There was nothing she wanted more than to see it.

"Watch me!" he would have done it if Gian hadn't grabbed the back of his suit coat.

"All you have to do is stand in the chariot."

"It'd be impressive if I did it, no? Wouldn't you be impressed? Come on, Sweetheart, _tell_ me you wouldn't be impressed." He had a schmoozer smile on his face. _Was he… Trying to pick up a Victor?_ Desiree hadn't pegged him to be the type with big balls like that.

Gian took another long sip of coffee. "Get in the chariot," he sighed. "I will be impressed if you just stand there and smile and wave."

Riggs rolled his eyes. "No fun. You already took my facial hair, isn't that enough?"

"I didn't touch your facial hair. If I were your prep team I would have kept it."

"Oh, so you _liiiiiked_ it?"

Another sip of coffee and a disgruntled "Oh my God," came from the Victor.

Desiree was thoroughly amused at this impending trainwreck. She was sad when she had to get up in the chariot, which put her out of earshot for the conversation. She glanced at the chariot in front of her, District Five. They were in a cage-looking dome, which Desiree thought was strange. The tributes talked quietly, both of them seeming nervous.

She got a quick glance behind her to District Seven. Instead of the usual tree ensemble, though, it had taken a different approach. Syca was dressed as a typical lumberjack, plaid flannel shirt, jeans, axe, trying to look tough. Persei was dressed in a little red dress with a red hood, also including a little basket. That was certainly different. Desiree's gaze rested on the girl for just a second longer. Her freckles and curly hair were quite adorable. Surely she'd be getting some sponsors if she pulled this off.

Riggs got up in the chariot, glancing down at the mentors. The doors opened and the first chariot soon left.

"Good luck!" Jovia called up to them, waving and smiling as the District Five chariot rolled out and theirs soon went after them.

* * *

-Lux Hastings, Head Gamemaker-

The doors had just opened. Lux was panicking, just a little bit. So far, everything had gone smoothly, which was a good sign. But this was only the beginning.

President Blossius was hard to please. He would be tough on the Gamemakers, and now, it was Lux's life that was on the line. He was responsible for every part of the Games, and this was no exception. He was responsible for his crew, his life, and the lives of everyone he loved. It was more than a little pressure.

The President was on his left. President Blossius seemed in high spirits, but that man never told the truth. It was totally possible he was already planning Lux's demise.

Lux jumped when he heard Piccolo's booming voice over the loudspeaker saying, "Here they come, the tributes for the 125th Hunger Games!" He swallowed nervously, doing everything not to let his nerves show. He had to be mysterious and professional, after all. Lux felt a hand slide into his and took a breath. This year was different than most, and because he had played such a big role in the twist, Cupid sat in the balcony with Lux and the President. Lux was really grateful for that.

He didn't think he'd like the scientist, but he really, really did. What started as a purely sexual relationship has changed into more. For Lux, anyways. He had no idea how the other felt, as he was too afraid to ask. It was really fast and sudden, after all, and he didn't want to spoil their professional relationship. That would really suck. Sometimes he thinks about that fateful day in which he was taken and injected, but the emotions are so real he knows that it can't be any stupid serum that was making him feel this way. Cupid's touch relaxed him as the first chariot came out, the snow white horses of District One.

District One's tributes were dressed in complementary costumes. Wicke was wearing a dress made of red, white, and black tulle with sparkly gemstones. The sleeves were white and puffy, the neckline was red and heart-shaped, and a black, red, and gold skirt. On the gold part, which hung down in the center, three red, sparkly hearts were attached. She was the queen of hearts, for sure. It was an interesting take on a costume that had been done once before, when the Arena theme was cards and the District One girl, Empress Nakashima, was the Queen of Hearts. That was a question Lux got wrong during the heated Ultimate Games Trivia Competition game he played with the Wallaces and his crew. Chance was dressed as the King, a slightly tackier costume with a big red robe with white lining spotted with black polka dots, puffy sleeves, a white sash decorated with hearts, and a crown to match. Both of them had scepters with matching hearts on them. The crowd loved the allusion to the twist and the seamless integration of the theme. Chance looked just about as sharp as he could have, given his costume. Wicke looked beautiful, a determined but excited look in her eyes as she beckoned to the crowd.

District Two came next. The crowds roared with applause for the two. Both of them were dressed in the typical gladiator, District Two fashion. They had golden armor, each of them adorned with golden laurel crowns. Dania's long hair was styled and braided elegantly. Both of them were wearing gladiator sandals up their legs. However, the best part of their outfits tied into the twist. On tall poles were colorful flags. Dania's was a bright rainbow, and Acacia's was pink, yellow, and blue. Both of them were radiant with pride, cheering with the crowd and waving the flags high, which caused roaring applause. Dania stood tall as she could, waving her flag pridefully even though it was about double her height. The sight caused people to laugh, as it looked pretty ridiculous. The girl kept doing her best to smile and wave, even though she was being severely underestimated and she knew it. Acacia bounced on her feet and waved the flag high, engaging the crowd and cheering with them.

District Three was next. Kaelys was wearing a white collar and a black vest with three silver buttons. It was barely big enough, of course, to hold her cleavage. She was wearing a black tie around her neck, a red plaid skirt that stopped halfway down her thighs, and a pair of argyle gray socks. Her hair was styled up into a messy bun, and she had some props: a pair of fake glasses and a stick with a little red apple on the end. A teacher. Lux got it. Bec's was even worse, though. He was wearing a pastel blue shirt with blue lines making checkers rolled up to the sleeves, a pair of pastel pink shorts with a black belt, an olive ballcap on backwards and a pair of sunglasses around his neck. And, the worst part is fucking boat shoes. Why was he wearing boat shoes? Cupid was snickering to himself, though.

"What is he?"

"He's a frat boy."

"A what?"

"Stereotypical rich college kid."

He waved at and wooed the crowd, grinning at his District partner and being very theatrical.

Lux realized it. "Ooooh, got it. District of technology and education, I guess." He chucked to himself as well. "Cute." The chariot moved out and Four's moved in.

District Four's costumes, or, well, costume, was laughable. Both of the tributes were dressed in scales, part of a costume that was connected. They were a sea monster, each of them one of its giant heads. Nerio was doing his best to appeal to the crowd through smiling and waving. Luna was also waving, and had an easy smile on her face. If she was displeased with the costume, she didn't show it, and the crowd loved it.

"You couldn't pay me enough to wear that," Cupid murmured, and Lux laughed. He was funny, too. What a good guy, that Cupid.

As much as everyone loved District Four, with the exception of at least one of the tributes involved, it was nothing compared to District Five. This was an idea that had been pitched years ago, but put to the side because of logistics and safety. Now, after years and years of experimenting, they've done it. The tributes were in a metal spherical cage, a generator attached to the cage. Both tributes were wearing metal suits. Bolts of electricity traveled flashed in the cage, controlled by the tributes putting their arms up andwaving them slowly.

Once Dyna got over the _shock_ (Lux chuckled to himself), of being in the cage, they put on a smile and waved at the crowd, the lightning cackling off of their arms and hands. Joule stayed calm and collected, looking almost as amazed at the electric bolts zapped his hands and arms waving at the crowd.

District Six was next. Both tributes were dressed as transportation employees. Riggs was a hovercraft pilot, in a classy navy suit, clean-shaven. He looked good, and Lux knew he would rack up some serious support from fangirls and boys alike. Riggs looked sharp, smiling and waving and engaging the crowd. Desiree was an attendant, wearing a bright red suit, heels, tights, and a pride-colored neckerchief. Her glossy red lips were smiling, and she was poised as she waved to the crowd.

District Seven came afterwards. Syca was dressed as a woodsman, with a plaid shirt and jeans, like a typical lumberjack. It was pretty underwhelming as he wasn't the typical District Seven powerhouse. He seemed pretty nervous, and Lux couldn't help feel bad for the kid. Syca was so focused on keeping his balance that he didn't even look up. He stared at the bottom of the chariot, wobbling slightly and looking nervous. Persei was smiling and waving, however. She was dressed as little red riding hood and the crowd adored her. Her freckles, curly hair, and the bright red hood that had become iconic was absolutely adorable, and she worked it well.

District Eight was after them, and the tributes looked adorable. They were both dressed up as cuddly, fuzzy teddy bears. She was dressed in a pink felt costume with a dark blue stomach. She looked extremely cuddly. Some big bear ears, a painted nose, and freckles completed the outfit. Semper was a little tan bear, with ears, paint, and freckles as well. He had a red center and a little heart painted on his face.

"He's cute," Cupid whispered, and Lux nodded. Hopefully it would do him well.

Semper looked awkward as he put up his hand and waved to the crowd feebly. He looked intimidated, like he wanted to sink away into the soft, fuzzy costume. Ester looked slightly bummed that she was dressed like a bear, but tried to make the best of it anyways. Lux could tell she was embarrassed, though.

The next chariot to really excite the crowd was District Nine's. Jasper was cheering along with the crowd, throwing his arms up and yelling, pumping up the crowd to cheer his name. June was giving the crowd a flirty smile, blowing kisses and waving. The District Nine pair didn't seem nearly as awkward as they were when they came face to face at the reaping, but Lux could see it was mostly just an act. Jasper tapped his cheek, and June gave it a quick kiss, which caused the crowd to go wild.

Even District Ten pulled out all the stops this year. Lux had no idea it was possible for tributes from District Ten to be anything but sunny funny cowboys, but this year he was proven wrong. Miya looked beautiful in a lasso dress that was very intricately made and knotted. She looked beautiful and worked it well, giving a strong, confident smile and staying perfectly poised. Attila looked truly deadly in his costume, a black jumpsuit with barbed wire wrapped all around him.

District Eleven had pulled a different angle than in years past. Instead of dressing like food, their tributes were decorated with beautiful flowers. Daria looked stunning in a flower dress decorated with a full flower crown, butterflies: both real and fake: flying around the ensemble. Ollie was a little flower prince himself, decorated with a flower crown and just as well-liked by the butterflies. But tributes had a sort of immortal shine to them. Daria looked almost too perfect to be real, her eyes glistening and her face smiling ear-to-ear. Her hair was absolutely perfect, and every part of her costume was pristine. Ollie's skin shone, his cheeks with a new lively color to them. They looked like exactly what it meant to be alive, which was a new angle for the District of rebellion. Ollie was doing his best to keep a smile on his face as he waved, but it was obvious that he was quite awkward. The crowd thought it was cute, though. Daria smiled and waved at the crowd, blowing kisses and smiling widely, as if this was the best day of her life.

The last District was half original. Ever since they started using synthetic fire, it had become somewhat cliché, which is why Ashlyn's getup was less than appealing. Her stylist was staying with the fire thing. She was wearing a black dress with synthetic flames dancing around it. The flames cast an eerie glow on her scars, though, which the crowd was definitely interested in. Maybe the use of fire actually worked on this one. Lux wouldn't judge until they got a better idea of her personality. She stared at the ground, not engaging the crowd but looking extremely formidable. The look of the angry tribute plus the scars made everyone think she was a serious threat. Jacques caught everyone's eyes though. It was a little impossible for him not to. Instead of going the fire route, Jacques was wearing a black jumpsuit decorated with diamond rhinestones. They reflected Ashlyn's fire all over the place, amazing the crowd and making them _ooo!_ and _aaah!_ He put his hand up and smiled calmly, giving the crowd a small wave.

The horses reached the main circle, making a lap around where the crowds were cheering. Lux did his best to keep a calm, professional expression on his face as he looked at each of the tributes, each of his tributes. One of these twenty-four would be _his_ Victor. That was more than a little bit crazy to think about.

President Blossius stood up, giving both Lux and Cupid a smile as he walked out to the edge of the balcony.

"Tributes, tributes, tributes. In the spirit of love and goodwill, we welcome you." He glanced at each of the tributes, giving them all an easy, authoritative smile. "We welcome you to our Capitol for the Fifth Quarter Quell!" the crowd went wild, cheering and applauding. "We thank you for your courage and your sacrifice. One of you will make your District very proud, and return home with wealth, fame, and honor as the Victor!" he added pauses for the crowd to roar. It was a huge noise, carried by the wind, echoing through the city. It was amazing. Lux knew his Mom was in the crowd, and hoped she was proud of him. She was really the only person he had left to love. Well, besides Cupid, but… Yeah, that's still a weird situation. "We hope you embrace your time in the Capitol and learn all you can while you are here. We hope you use your time wisely and expand your horizons. And, most of all, we hope you will find the comfort and warmth of love in a seemingly hopeless place." The crowd went wild, and Blossius cleared his throat for them to quiet. "Tributes, you are all worthy of the tile. It is yours for the taking, if you learn, fight, and remain open. We love you, tributes. May the odds be ever in your favor." The crowd went wild some more, many of them shouting out the names of the tributes that stood out to them, a jumble of words in the ruckus. The chariots made one last roundabout, and then were on their way back to the Tribute Building.

"See? No big problems." Cupid nudged Lux's arm and grinned at him. Lux felt a dumb smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, you're right. But this is only the beginning."

There were still so many opportunities for disaster yet to come.

* * *

-Dania Lidano, 18, District 2-

Dania was sure Acacia would have actually exploded if they'd been out there a second longer. She never lost the excitement and fervor of being on the chariot. She loved waving that flag around, and the crowd went wild.

Dania loved her flag, too, if only it were just a bit shorter. The pole was made for a girl much taller than her, which was ever-so-frustrating for the short girl. She tried to make the best of it, but she was sure everyone was underestimating her, which was ever-so frustrating. She was going to make sure everyone feared her, as they rightfully should. She earned the spot for a reason, and she didn't want to play weak. She refused to be anything less than her full potential at all times.

When the chariot stopped, Acacia whooped again.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" she shouted. Dania's ears were still ringing from the noise of the crowd, but she quickly nodded in agreement. Together, the gladiators stepped off of their chariots. "DO WE GET TO MEET THE OTHERS NOW?"

Dania tried to keep her voice down when she said, "Yeah, I think so!"

The ringing gradually faded as they were approached by the tributes from the District of Luxury. They were dressed like royalty, combined with the twist of love. Dania tried to appear as intimidating as she possibly could, but in front of the tall, strong, piercing gaze of Chancellor, even someone like Acacia looked small.

"Hey there hey there hey there!" Acacia said, waving her flag in excitement. Chancellor put a hand up in a silent greeting.

"Hey," Wicke said, brushing bangs out of her eye. Her hair was styled in an elegant braided updo, and she looked pretty regal. They had succeeded in that respect. "I'm Wicke Valentine."

"Chancellor Magnusun."

"I'm Dania Lidano," Dania said. She gave each of the tributes a look, daring them to underestimate her. Neither of them seemed to look down on her, though (well, they had to physically, but not metaphorically).

"Acacia Blasdell!" she said happily, taking Wicke's hand in her free hand and shaking it.

"You think the Four tributes are going to join us?" Dania asked, looking around for them. They spotted the pair coming closer, but it was a struggle. Luna and Nerio obviously didn't get along, and were having trouble getting around as they were bound by the costume.

Acacia laughed loudly. "I love that costume!" she said loudly. The others all agreed, and all were snickering. The pair from Four looked pretty ridiculous, and the fact that they weren't very in-sync made a very drunk-looking sea monster approaching. Other tributes quickly stepped out of the way for the tributes, which made the tributes from One and Two laugh and exchange amused glances.

The pair eventually hobbled over, bickering quietly as they went.

"Hi!" Acacia said, giggling.

Soon, though, she was looking at the District One girl again. Dania could admit that she was easy to look at, but tried to stay focused on the Games. Nona and Vesperus admitted that neither of them was completely sure if and how they were going to make this crazy twist work, but Nona told her to be sure to stay focused. Vesperus seemed pretty on-edge about the whole thing, but Nona remained calm. Dania wasn't sure if Acacia was conscious she kept glancing over, or if Wicke noticed, but she was going to stay out of the drama if at all possible.

"Hey there," Nerio said, putting up a weird scaly, tentacle and waving, which caused Acacia to burst into giggles and the others to stifle laughter.

"Nice to meet you both," Dania said, amused. "I'm Dania. That's Acacia."

"Chance," the One boy said.

"Wicke," the girl introduced herself.

"Good to meet you. I'm Nerio!"

"My name is Luna." The girl was pretty as well, or at least, from what Dania remembered from the reaping. She hadn't gotten a real read on Luna, the only thing she knew for sure was that the Four girl was determined. She was going to go out there and not stop until she won. Dania would have to make sure that didn't happen.

"Happy Hunger Games all," Wicke said. Her eyes sparkled with determination. "I didn't come here to place second."

"None of us did," Chance said. He looked at each of our future allies with a hard gaze, establishing dominance. Dania sunk back a little bit, surrendering control. She was never really a leader. It wasn't that she wasn't worthy or capable, it was mostly that she wasn't confident enough. She didn't follow anyone blindly, though. She only followed those she considered worthy and deserving. Back home, that was her older brother Carlen. He was her best friend, her best support, and her strongest training partner. He always encouraged her to shoot for the stars, and she would always appreciate him for that. She wanted to get home so she could repay him for everything he did for her.

"May the odds be ever in your favor then," Luna said cooly. She had a very calculating look to her as well.

Dania knew that she couldn't afford to let her guard down this year. She was definitely going to have to earn that Victor title. It wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible.

"We have some outer-District big shots this year. So the big question is… Join with them?" It was a tough question, but Wicke obviously wasn't afraid of it. Nobody got to answer, though, before two more tributes approached the group.

It was the pair from District Ten. In previous years, one tribute from Ten had joined the Careers as the outer-District scapegoat. Now, both were on their way.

Dania knew that eight tributes in one alliance was a lot, but she wasn't shut-off to the idea. It would be a quick couple days as they took out those that weren't deserving, then they'd duke it out. Hopefully it would be clean and fair, but with these allies, she wasn't so sure. Acacia didn't have an ounce of deceit in her body, it seemed, but she never knew about the others. Dania hoped that District loyalty would be stronger than anything else, but she could never be sure.

"Hi there!" Acacia said, as all of the tributes glanced at each other. The Ten tributes were dressed interestingly this year. Attila was a lethal mass of barbed wire. He was already so hulking and tall that it only made him look more lethal. Dania would have to pull a lot of tricks out of her ass to beat him in a fight, and she knew that. It would be good to keep eyes on him, though. He put a hand up in greeting.

"Hi!" his District partner, who had been reaped, said. She may have been reaped, but she could still be lethal. Dania had seen it before from District Ten's tributes. "I'm Miya. This is Attila." The rest of the group introduced themselves. Dania found herself looking at the Ten girl's dress. It was so intricately knotted. It was tough, but beautiful. Like the girl herself, it seemed.

Dania glanced back at Attila, shaking off the thought of it. She knew that she couldn't forget where she was. She would always be guarded and on her game, and wouldn't let anyone sway her.

Then Miya smiled, which made that task… harder. It wasn't Dania's fault that girls were such spectacular specimen. She glanced back at Acacia, wondering what was going through her District partner's mind.

"I think we've got ourselves an alliance," Nerio said, offering the others a grin.

"Good stuff," Acacia said enthusiastically.

"We should be getting back to our compartments," Luna said. Though she was hard to read, the underlying meaning of the statement was easy to see: _I will cut a bitch if I have to be in this costume any longer._

"Aw… Already?" Nerio said, pouting, but Luna was already dragging him towards the elevator.

"I'm going to stay out for a bit and see the dynamics between other tributes, I think," Wicke said. "I'm not that tired."

"Oh, can I come with?" Acacia was quick to ask, the One girl quick to agree.

Dania walked to the elevator with the Ten tributes and Chance, making strategic small-talk along the way.

Dania liked her outfit, but was glad to change into PJ's and climb into bed. She had a long day and it was only going to get trickier from there.

She fell asleep easily as soon as she closed her eyes.

* * *

-Desiree Menghiasi, 15, District 6-

After the ride was over, Desiree took the initiative. She wanted to see what she was dealing with here, and the best way to do that was to jump right in. Riggs immediately went off to talk to the District Nine tributes, but Desiree was more focused with tributes that were closer to her age.

First, she approached the Seven tributes. They were pretty close, and both of them were her age as well.

"Hi there," she said, causing both tributes to look up.

"Hi," the girl said. The boy waved, but just looked shy. The getup was supposed to make him look tough, but didn't do much to help him out.

"Desiree," she said, "I'm from Six."

"Persei. I like your outfit."

"Oh, thanks. Red's a pretty neat color, isn't it?" she gave the Seven girl a grin, who gave a small smile and nodded. They were both pretty on-edge, that was easy to tell.

"Yeah, I like it well enough. I don't know how I feel about being a helpless little girl, being fifteen and all, you know? This costume doesn't do me justice. I'm tough, don't be mistaken."

Desiree's grin widened. This was exactly the kind of girl she could get along with. "I believe you."

"I'll play the role for the night, though, if that's what they want."

"Yeah, you don't look so tough in that getup. Just a bit helpless. But at least you're the protagonist," Desiree teased. Persei gave her a slight smirk.

"Then again," she whispered in Desiree's ear, "It's not like _he's_ really much of a savior, is he?" She bounced her eyebrows at Desiree, who gave a laugh. She was pretty cool, especially now that she seems to have relaxed from the reaping.

"Doesn't seem like it," Desiree whispered back. The girls laughed together. Syca looked bothered, though, and Desiree felt a little bit bad for leaving him out.

"Syca, right?"

"Yeah," he said, frowning. He was looking over somewhere, and looked pretty bothered. When Desiree was able to steal a look over her shoulder she noticed that he was looking at the District Eight boy, who was talking with the Eleven girl.

"Nice to meet you," Desiree said. He wasn't nearly as much fun as Persei, or nearly as nice to look at. That really didn't mean much, though, as Desiree was looking for who would make the best, strongest ally. He just nodded in response. He still seemed to be in a bad mindspace, while Desiree was looking for someone who could roll with the punches like her.

The other fifteen-year-olds approached just then. Well, it was more like Daria skipping over and Semper following slower after her.

"Hi there!" the Eleven girl said. She was definitely not from District Eleven, and nobody was totally sure how she was here. Piccolo and Viola had assured everyone that she was, indeed, a District Eleven citizen, but that didn't make it any less strange. Especially seeing someone like her next to someone so genuinely Eleven: dark-skinned, calloused, and scrawny: like Oleander. "My name is Daria Junius! That's Semper Celandine, District Eight."

The trio introduced themselves, and they all exchanged _"nice to meet you!"s._ Daria looked like the princess of everything pastel and girly in her flowery outfit, which wasn't Desiree's jam, but she didn't count the princess out yet. Semper was slightly shy, which was cute and comical in his little teddy bear outfit.

"I think we could have a fifteen-year-old Victor this year!" Daria said, her blue eyes sparkling with optimism. She even had a Capitol accent. She was the least Eleven person Desiree could have seen.

"I hope so," Semper said quietly, and the others nodded. Desiree needed to get back home. The others may have wanted it, but nobody needed it like Desiree. Nobody wanted it like her. She didn't have a choice.

"Well, I wish you the best and hope we're going to talk soon, but I'm so sleepy," Daria yawned. She made eye contact with Desiree and flashed her a confident smile. Desiree smiled back before glancing back at Persei. Of them all, she seemed like the most reliable, but it was still early on.

"Night," everyone said. She and the boys went to bed. Syca kept glancing at Semper, with something that looked like a stink-eye. _What'd Semper ever do to him?_ It was only day one, there were many questions that would be answered soon.

Persei and Desiree stayed back from the others.

"So you wanna keep in touch or what?" Desiree asked, out of earshot of the others. She didn't want to commit to anything too early, but Persei could very well be a strong asset.

Persei gave her a nod and a smirk. "Yeah. Find me during training."

"Swaggin."

"What?"

Desiree shrugged. "Swaggin."

"Right…" The elevator came and the girls stepped on.

Daria wished them all a good night after stepping off at the Eleventh Floor. Semper was dropped off next. The elevator stopped at District Seven.

"Night," Desire said. Syca gave a nod, staring at the floor as he exited the elevator.

"Rest well," Persei said, winking at Desiree. Desiree winked back as the doors closed, taking her up to her floor.

Desiree smiled as the doors open and Jovia told her how great she looked, asking how she liked it and who she talked to. She answered the escort's questions before going back to her room, changing and getting ready for bed.

Desiree was content for where she was. There was still plenty of time to figure things out, and she had a good start.

She was still smiling as she dozed off to sleep.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Hi… Sorry this took so long. Holy shit, over a month! That's crazy. Hope the length makes up for it.**_

 _ **So, I'm officially home for the summer, which means that hopefully I'll be able to crank out updates getting us to the Games before school starts again! Also, the tribute POVs are longer than 2000 but they do feature other tributes so the length is to ensure that the tribute gets some time plus interaction time.**_

 _ **Sorry if this chapter felt a little bit off, I'm getting back into the full SYOT swing of things after not even thinking about this story for a time due to some personal shit. But I hope you enjoyed this look at Dania, Desiree, and Lux!**_

 _ **Reviews are always appreciated, I love to know what you think of the dynamics and the tributes in this chapter and if your opinions on any of them change! And, of course, how I did with your tributes, if applicable.**_

 _ **If you haven't already, vote on the poll! :)**_

 _ **Oh, and I've started drawing this story's tributes! I'm just drawing them in the order they were submitted, because that's easiest. That's on the story's blog, just-let-lux-eat-pastries . blogspot . com**_

 _ **Also, I'm still taking fan mail by PM, and dates for Victors are still open and on my profile.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Here are some alliance prediction questions: Do you think the Careers going to stay strong with eight people or split off? Will it be ugly or fair? Do you think any of the fifteens are going to stick together?**_

 _ **Here's to hoping this story can be back in swing with fast updates as summertime boredom sets in! Thanks for the support so far, my dears!**_

 _ **Next chapter will be another long one, we'll hear from Wicke, Bec, and Syca for the first day of training!**_


	22. Wicke, Bec, Syca: Scouting Allies

-Wicke Valentine, 18, District 1-

Wicke and her mentor were the first people awake that morning. Namibia was a strong believer in her beauty sleep, while Chance was apparently worn out from chariots the night before and Cartier… Well, according to Blessing it was a miracle if he was up before ten o'clock anyways.

Wicke was used to being up this early: up and dressed by 5:30 A.M.: to go for her usual morning jog. Blessing told her that she could go back to bed, but Wicke was already up and moving and knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyways. Even though chariot rides had kept her up past her usual bedtime, she liked to keep her sleep schedule as tight as she could.

Blessing was in the kitchen sipping tea when Wicke went out. She was hoping that someone would be out in the main room. Something about sitting by herself with five Avoxes silently watching her was pretty off-putting.

Once Wicke asserted that she wasn't going back to bed, she and Blessing sent breakfast orders back with a couple of Avoxes before sitting at the table. The room was so bright as the sun brought out the bright colors. The summer was always so pleasant.

"So, what's the Career forecast?" Blessing asked. She had gone to bed before Wicke had come back up the previous night. She just lost track of time, being down there with Acacia. They were surveying the tributes, trying to size up competition, and before they knew it they were being sent back to their own compartments.

Wicke had her mental watch-out-for list forming already anyways. Thinking about going to bed at midnight instead of her usual 9:00 made her realize how tired and dead she really felt. Five and a half hours of sleep was killer. But, if she wanted to save her sleep schedule, she would just have to push through it.

"Eight." That thought was absolutely absurd. That was a third of the tributes, after all. Wicke hated the thought of such a big alliance, especially because they were all here to win and they all had their ideas about how to do it.

Even Blessing made a face. "Wow."

"No kidding. Would I make enemies if I left?" She had definitely been considering it. She wanted a small alliance, even smaller than the usual Careers. She couldn't fathom having eight different people all trying to talk over each other at once.

"You might. How adamant do the others seem? Would they all stay if you left?"

"I… Don't know."

"It might depend on who you'd go with. Some Careers don't take it too well when a _worthy_ tribute goes with someone from an outer District."

"Surely they'd be relieved to have a smaller group though."

"It's possible." There was a pause. "Who would you want to go with?"

Wicke considered. "I don't know. I was trying to keep my options open?"

"Chance?"

Wicke snorted. "No, I don't have a death wish. I wouldn't even trust Chance if he were strapped to a lie detector."

"Smart," Blessing said, as their food was delivered by the Avoxes.

"Acacia seemed interested in travelling with me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean, maybe she was just being nice. Probably. I mean, we were talking as we were scouting out some of the other tributes, that's all."

"I see. Who else?"

Wicke put some eggs in her mouth and considered. "I don't know. I'll have to consider during training."

"Of course." They ate in silence. Wicke enjoyed every bite of her cinnamon crunch bagel. She had no idea that such a delicious confection existed, and felt robbed when she realized it did. Not to mention that here they had blueberry cream cheese! District One needed to get itself together. They sat like that for a while before Blessing spoke again. "So… Do you have any… Feelings?" she seemed like she didn't want to know.

"Oh, no. I mean, I don't think so. I feel just like my normal self, I mean. And, like, I've never been good at that but… Yeah, no, I'm good."

"Oh. I see. Well, that's good."

Wicke nodded. "Yeah." She was definitely nervous about the twist. Wicke had never been very good at love stuff, she'd always been so focused on her goals that she'd let it slide. She couldn't imagine how Amelie, Opal, and Sterling could have possibly gone through the process of having a crush, recognizing the crush, and asking out not one person, but two. It was all above Wicke.

Sure, she wanted a romantic relationship. It's not like she never thought about it. She just wasn't actively looking for one. She had the Games to focus on, her education, her welfare, her family struggles, her… Her life. She was young, anyways. She had time. She was just clueless.

She'd been on dates before, sure, but never really felt anything. She may have had a crush or two, but it was hard to separate those feelings from admiration of strong trainees. What if she wasn't good enough? What if she was thrown to the side because she wasn't as interesting as anyone else? She'd definitely had these kinds of thoughts before. Blessing just told her that she'd be alright, she was strong and she could act if that was necessary. But Wicke didn't know how to act that kind of thing. She didn't even know how to do it genuinely. It was certainly a source of stress, among the pressure from all sides of being the District One female tribute, especially on such a thin margin.

After breakfast, Wicke told Blessing some more about her home life. About her complacent parents, her kiss-ass older brother, her relationship with her friends (she never knew it was possible to be a fourth wheel, but sometimes it was hard not to feel that way). Blessing was there to listen, after all, and Wicke knew that she had a clue what she was doing.

Chance was out to the kitchen by 7:30. He greeted both girls and had his breakfast. For a while, the three of them talked about strategy on a bigger scope. They didn't get much out of him, though, unfortunately. Soon, Namibia and Cartier were awake, and the first floor was up and about.

Before going to training, though, Wicke knew she had to stretch. It was only smart, of course. She went through her normal stretching routine, which was calming to her. It was just another normal day of training. No pressure, no threats, just another day. She would approach this just as she would any other training back home: look impressive for the trainers while keeping tabs on the big competition and learning all she could. This was no different than training back home, really. Chance soon joined her to stretch. The boy couldn't do a spilt or put his palms on the ground like Wicke could, of course. At least he had a brain on him, though. Why have sore muscles when it can easily be avoided?

The television was playing a broadcast of a popular talk show, Brunch with Blaine. The retired Games interviewer was sixty now, but just as bubbly and energetic as he always had been. This time he was sitting and sipping tea with Philander Markov and Scorpio Sangster of Upward Voyager. Wicke half-listened as they talked about the tributes: namely the volunteer from Phil's home District, Three, and the Capitolite from Scorpio's, Eleven. Chance was definitely listening as well. It seemed that nothing new was to be learned, until Markov said something that made Wicke look up.

"I actually recognize Bec. He was in the hospital the same time my brother was. They were roommates."

"Oh my! Why was he in the hospital?"

"I don't know. I didn't really talk to him… Now I wish I had, I guess."

"Well, we'll have to ask him if we get the chance. Do you know who he volunteered for?"

Phil bit his lip and shook his head. "No. I don't."

"Ah, a real bummer." The conversation continued but Wicke kept the information in her mind. She didn't know if or when she'd ever use it, but knowing was always better than not.

The next showing was a rerun of an old Games special called _Traitor or Framed? The Edward O'Callaghan Conspiracy._ It was at least ten years old, as Wicke remembered watching it when she was a little girl. She couldn't help watching it, though. It was just too nostalgic. Chance went to talk some strategy for Cartier, while Wicke stayed with Blessing. Namibia made sure both tributes drank plenty of water before their first day of training.

Finally, it was time. The One tributes were half an hour early, but weren't the first ones down there. That position was held by the tributes from-

" _Gooooood_ morning, District 1!" Acacia beamed and waved at them. "Isn't this Center _amazing_?!"

Wicke looked around. It definitely was amazing. It was huge, even bigger than the biggest in District One. There were so many stations, all scattered around. Looking up, there was a glass dome ceiling through which the sun shone, warm and bright. Up on a balcony sat Lux Hastings, currently by himself but soon to be surrounded by other important people that would be surveying their every move.

Looking around, Wicke saw what she was looking for: a balance beam. A slow smile spread across her face. It was practically screaming her name. She'd show off her weapon skills and get right over there. Her background as a gymnast would definitely help her show the Gamemakers something new.

"Wow," she said. It was the only real thing she could think of. Acacia looked at her, eyes sparkling intently.

"We're not in District 1 anymore," Chance murmured under his breath. Dania waved to the One tributes but stayed with her mentor Nona. Acacia bounced over, a bright smile on her face.

"What's your favorite station? There are so many to choose from! I mean, District 2 is great, but we don't have that huge computer system to test berry knowledge! Look at all of them… I really like swords, they're really efficient, and spears, of course. Typical Career stuff. How about you?"

"Oh, um, I like scythes. Like, the war scythes."

"Oh, that's neat! I've seen plenty of successful tributes use them! You should totally teach me about them, and I'll teach you stuff about swords, or something, we can work it out later!"

Chance, who once looked like he was going to pitch in, seemed to realize that the conversation wasn't really directed to him, and instead just talked some more with Cartier. Acacia certainly was nice. Soon, the other tributes started to appear. This year, the last District to arrive was Five, but even they were five minutes early.

The Head Trainer introduced herself as Geneva Dunworthy, and laid out the rules. It was all the same, really, until she diverged from the typical script. "As per the Quell twist, this year's days of training will be filmed. The highlights will be broadcasted nationally. It will not be required viewing, however it will demonstrate how you used your time to possible sponsors."

Wicke looked around. The other tributes didn't seem too fazed, but Wicke thought it was a big deal. She would always have to be looking her best, after all. They released the tributes, and suddenly the first day of training was underway.

Acacia walked with the One tributes to the huddle of Careers that was forming. Wicke swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. She only half-listened as the Careers agreed to start strong. Soon, the group separated, each of them going to the stations they were the best at. Everyone, it seemed except for Wicke and Acacia.

"Hey, you okay?" the Two tribute asked, bumping Wicke's shoulder. "You look a little spacey."

"Oh, right. I'm fine, sorry."

"Okay… You know that you have nothing to worry about! After all, this is your time to shine! You'll do great!"

Wicke gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"Take a deep breath." Acacia put her hands on Wicke's shoulder's, but pulled them back when Wicke jumped. "Sorry, does that bother you?"

"Oh, um, it's fine, I'm just not really a touchy kind of person…"

"Yeah, no, I get it. Sorry. Should've asked. I'll remember next time."

"It's fine." Wicke gave her a smile. "And thanks." It was hard to find a person that understood and respected her boundaries. Her parents and brother never gave a damn, and neither did most of the people she went out with. It wasn't that hard: she just wasn't a touchy person and when she said she didn't want to be touched, she meant it.

Stupid Elton would always wait until those times when she wanted to be touched least of all, when he'd wrap his arms around her and say shit like, "Of course you want your big brother's hugs!" or "The ones that say they don't want hugs want them the most!" He was just trying to be annoying, as always, but he didn't even understand how bothersome it really was.

The truth was that Wicke was afraid. She knew that she might end up acting, but she didn't want this to go too far. She needed someone that wouldn't push her. One of her worst fears was ending up in a situation in which she'd have no say, in which she couldn't fight back. She had to find the right person to tackle this with, one person that she could trust, one person that wouldn't hold her down against her will.

She showed off her skills, taking out the nerves and stress through rough and vigorous training, just as she always had. When she was in the zone, she didn't have to think about that, none of that mattered. All that mattered was her and the Capitolite she was sparring. All that mattered was her and that fire that burned inside her as she reached for the Victory. All that mattered was the here and now, that fight.

All that mattered was Victory.

Just as the Games should be.

* * *

-Becquerel Pierre, 17, District 3-

Bec was smarter than to judge a book by its cover.

His District partner may have looked harmless, but from the few times they talked, he knew that she wasn't one to be messed with. She wasn't very open to talking with Bec, and requested to be mentored separately, but he understood why. She was playing the game, and so was he. Distance was never a bad thing in the Games.

Tav was really helpful and wanted Bec to succeed, which was nice. Alanena was very kind, and since Kaelys shrugged her off, Bec made sure to express how thankful he was for her. It was never a bad thing to be on the Capitol's good side. Bec was thankful that he had a good mentor and a good escort, as he couldn't say the same for other tributes. He wanted them to like him, and since they liked him for who he was, it was an easy task.

The only thing that really bothered Bec about their first meeting was their first conversation. Tav was really kind about respecting Bec, it was just… The look on his face when he asked Bec his romantic and sexual orientation. That moment where Tav just looked… So dejected. He quickly shook it off, but Bec couldn't help feeling like he was giving up. Tav shook it off, staying positive, which Bec appreciated. They had discussed the possibility of Bec acting: after all, Bec had always dreamt of becoming an actor in the Capitol: but Bec didn't think he could do it. It was hard to act something he would never really feel or understand, and it didn't seem fair to do to anyone else. Bec liked to keep people at a distance in that respect, strictly platonic, or brotherly. He wasn't sure if he could compromise that.

They eventually decided to put off that decision. After all, they still had time. Soon, though, time would run out. Bec was worried about interacting with some of the others. The last thing he needed was a sour relationship in the Games.

However, he knew that he wanted at least one ally. He had some fighting skills, but he had no survival experience, which was half of the game. It seemed much less intimidating to tackle this with someone else by his side. He just needed to find the right combination, that was all.

Bec felt extremely confident in his training outfit. It was a maroon sleeveless athletic top and some lightweight synthetic pants with a bright red stripe down the left leg. His District was printed in red on his chest. But the best part was that he had a brand new binder, one of those really nice ones that was more like an undershirt. Since he was training and could be exercising, it was a little looser, but he felt confident anyways. He was known to wear one back home, but it was getting old, and having a great new one was quite exciting.

When the tributes were released, Bec waited a second to see where everyone went. The knowledge that they'd be filmed was a bit intimidating. He had planned to lay low, let the other tributes underestimate him a bit. He wanted to focus on the people he wanted to be allies with, and knew if he was asked, he'd have a hard time saying no. He already had quite the target on his back because he volunteered, adding to that would only harm him. He'd have to perform for the Gamemakers, sure, so that he'd get sponsors, but he didn't have to perform for the tributes unless he wanted to.

Of course, the Careers huddled. It didn't take long for them to split, each of them walking with purpose towards a station of weapons. Luna went to the throwing knives station, Nerio, as is common for District Four boys since it was popularized by the infamous Finnick Odair, worked with tridents. Chancellor from One used a bow and arrows, and Dania was deadly with a battle axe. Attila was using a weapon Bec had never seen before, that looked like a mix between an axe and a scythe. No matter what it was, it was certainly deadly. Miya was at the sword station, sparring with a Capitolite trainer. The only two left were Acacia from Two and Wicke from One. The two of them lingered, talking for a bit before Acacia went to spears and Wicke to scythes. Well, it certainly seemed that the Careers had all weapons covered.

Bec briefly considered going to the hand-to-hand station, but quickly decided against it. He couldn't stand out as a threat. If he just managed to lay low, he would be able to escape the watch of the Careers. Instead he looked around at some of the other tributes at the survival stations to see where he should go first.

Bec took a seat at the edible berries test first. Not only did he need to study up, but he also saw another tribute that was his age there that could be of use to him.

Surely, Oleander's nimble fingers complete the test with exactly the accuracy and speed expected from a District 11 native. Bec sat next to him, watching his screen slowly. Ollie was done with his test, one-hundred correct answers out of one-hundred questions. He beamed proudly at his work.

"You're good at that," Bec said. He was wary of talking to the boy, considering he had cried at the reaping, but then again, he wouldn't judge the book by its cover.

"Oh, thanks!" Oleander said, somewhat surprised at being talked to. "Berries are kind of my life, so…"

"Yeah, they're not really mine," Bec said with a small laugh.

"I imagine there wouldn't be too many berries in the District of technology."

"Not really." Bec smiled and the Eleven boy smiled back.

"Becquerel, right?"

"Oh, um, yeah. But most people call me Bec."

"Nice to meet you Bec. I'm Ollie."

"Nice to meet you too."

Bec smiled and turned back to the test, reaching under his shirt to slightly adjust the binder. Ollie must have noticed, because he asked, "Why are you wearing an undershirt? Won't that make you hotter? Or will it help you stink less?" Ollie looked like he was worried he had made a mistake by not wearing one, which made Bec smile a bit.

"Don't worry. This actually isn't an undershirt, it's a binder." Bec understood how he wouldn't know what it was. Most people imagined a binder to be ace bandages, or an article shaped like a strapless bra, common dangerous misconceptions of binding.

"A what?"

Bec remained patient, but he really wished people were better educated. "It's a binder. It keeps my chest flat."

"Oh… Why would you need that?" Ollie just looked plain confused.

"It's because I'm transgender." Bec couldn't help but be over the moon that Ollie didn't even seem to know. Bec was definitely proud to be trans, but passing as a cis boy was everything Bec wanted. He would never stop talking about trans issues, of course, but he was proud that he could pass.

"Oh. I've heard of that I think. So, you have, like, girl parts?"

Bec took a breath. "Actually, um, I mean. I have breasts, yeah, but they're not… Girl parts. Because I'm not a girl and they're my parts. So they can't be girl parts."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense."

Ollie looked like he had more questions, but didn't ask them when he noticed Bec at work focusing on the berry test. He eventually bade farewell and went to look at other survival stations, leaving Bec to focus. He spent some time at the edible berries station before moving on.

He noticed another tribute at the knots station, and decided to go there next. Learning to make traps could really do him some good. He sat down and listened as the instructor showed him how to start a basic trap.

Bec got to work on his knot as the trainer went to help the Eight boy, who had just arrived.

"Your knot's a little loose there." Bec jumped a bit at being talked to, but soon was back to smiling. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no, it's fine." He tightened the knot. "You look to have a neat contraption going there."

"Oh, thanks. It looks more impressive than it is, though."

"I'm Bec. District Three."

"Good to meet you, Bec. I'm Dyna. District Five." Dyna held their hand out to Bec, and he shook it.

Both of them kept working on their knots for a while, before Dyna spoke up again.

"You volunteered, didn't you?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I did." He wasn't sure if he should go around telling the reason why, but Dyna just seemed trustworthy. "A good fiend was reaped and I just decided to go for it."

Dyna gave him an affectionate smile. "That's very kind of you. I wish I'd had the same domineering presence as you did at the reaping."

"Hey, don't worry about that though. Reapings are rough for everyone. I was so panicked at the reaping, I was barely thinking about anything."

"You pulled it off though. Mine was… Not pretty."

"Well, the only thing you can do now is shake it off and prove why you shouldn't be underestimated, right?" Bec gave them a confident grin, which they returned.

"Yeah, you're right. That's what I intend to do, for sure!" Soon they were just as bright as they had been before. Bec and Dyna got back to tying their knots, occasionally asking the other for advice. When Dyna was done, they had a great trap that would definitely catch a wild animal that triggered it. Bec just had a ball of knotted rope that wouldn't do much of anything except for maybe serve as fire fuel.

Dyna tested their trap with a fake animal, which was captured. The trainer squealed and clapped happily.

"Nice one," Bec said.

"Thanks!" Dyna said, beaming. "And yours is… Something!" They giggled a bit, and Bec laughed.

"Guess this isn't really my forte. You know what is, though? That agility wall. Wanna go?" He liked this person and wanted to get to know them better. Dyna proved that they could make a good trap, and the two of them seemed to be on similar wavelengths personality-wise.

"Yeah, sure!" Dyna went to the climbing wall and Bec followed happily.

"Wanna race?" Bec asked, grinning as the Capitolites put harnesses on them to do the wall.

"I don't know if I'm agile as you," they said, grinning. "I mean, I do have the most killer calves you've ever seen." They showed off their legs and Bec laughed a little.

"How'd you get those?"

"I did a lot of biking back home."

"Really? Oh, that's so cool! Is biking really common in District Five?"

Dyna grinned. "Nope. Actually, the bike I had wasn't even mine. It was just a rental. I used it to deliver papers to get some extra money."

"Oh, cool! So you were a papergirl?"

"I prefer, paper-person. I'm not really a boy or a girl, if that makes sense."

"Oh, yeah, I get it. Sorry 'bout that."

Dyna just gave another smile. "No problem at all my man."

"Did you make a lot of money delivering papers?"

"Not, like, a crazy amount. Enough to feel like I'm contributing to society, though." They gave another laugh. "It's been a little nuts since I moved out."

"You live on your own? Wow."

Dyna gave a small smile. "Actually, I moved out to live with my boyfriend."

"…Oh. I see."

"Yeah, it's not the best thing for the Quell twist… I don't exactly intend on cheating."

"Well, if it's any help, I'm aroace and I don't intend on acting."

Dyna grinned up at him. "It is a help."

Bec's easy grin came back wider than ever. "Good." Then, he bounced on his feet, grinning as he looked up towards the top of the wall. "Either way, you will never get to the top of that wall before I do. Ready?"

Dyna bounced on their feet a bit before returning his grin. "Whenever you are."

"Ready… Set… GO!"

Both of them started to race up the wall.

* * *

-Syca Gallen, 15, District 7-

The fifteen-year-olds congregated for lunch together, Syca in tow.

The Capitol may have thought that three years wasn't so big of an age gap, but Syca couldn't help but feel like the maturity gap was still significant. The seventeen and eighteen-year-olds were intimidating, especially the Careers.

Maybe it would have been less separated if there were more than one sixteen-year-old… Who knows? Even though the other tributes were at most three years older than him, Syca couldn't imagine trying to flirt with them, or even ally with them. Then again, Syca's shyness was just as prevalent as ever.

Syca sat next to Desiree, who was sitting across from Persei. Daria from Eleven sat across from him. On Syca's other side was Semper.

Semper. He was a fifteen-year-old just like Syca. He wasn't even that suave, and yet he seemed to be on such better terms with the girls than Syca. He wasn't exactly Mr. Sunshine, but they liked him. Syca couldn't help but feel just a little bit jealous of him. He knew it wasn't Semper's fault, but it still frustrated Syca. Here was the one place he needed to be charming, and he couldn't even do that. He tried to talk to Persei, but he always got so tongue-tied. Something about girls just made Syca choke up. He hated that, and wanted to do whatever he could to work on that.

"So, how was your first day of training?" Daria asked cheerfully. "I still can't believe I'm here, wearing the uniform, seeing the real Center, and the Games employees in the flesh…"

Syca shifted uncomfortably. Daria's fangirling about this was more than a little off-putting. Did she have any idea why they were all here? Did she have any idea what would happen to them? How could she be so excited about this? The others all looked uncomfortable.

"What?" she didn't understand. She had no idea why they all felt this way. She really didn't understand anything that was happening.

"It was fine," Persei said, finally. Her tone was harsh, obviously biting, and Syca couldn't say he blamed her. "I worked with axes." Syca nodded, because he did the same thing. Both of them knew how to use axes to chop trees, but they had to learn the strategy of using it as a weapon. Persei was good at what she did with the axe. She trained hard, by Syca's side, and he couldn't help but think that it was fate that they were training so close. It was a silly thought, he realized that when he was whacked with a plastic axe and scolded for daydreaming, but it still made him happy to think about. It frustrated him when he saw her give a look across the room to Desiree, who had been making hand signals at her, telling her she's doing well and, later, to ask about eating lunch together.

Syca put some food in his mouth. "We worked together at the axe station." He didn't mention that training next to Dania, a Career who was no taller than he was, was more than a little terrifying. She took down those dummies like it was nobody's business. She was definitely a powerhouse.

"We didn't really work together. It was more like training side by side," she said, quite bluntly. Syca's face burned at that. She was right. He probably just sounded so desperate, fuck that was not smooth… Everyone else moved on, but Syca lingered on that horribly embarrassing moment.

"I just did some weapon work," Desiree said. "I need to figure out what I like best."

"How about you Semper?" Daria asked.

The boy just shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, "Made a trap."

"I spent my morning with a crossbow! It's like my father's gun! I figured that if he was good at it, I would be too!" She said it so nonchalantly, like shooting people was a totally normal occupation for a father to have. Persei seemed more than a little annoyed, but kept from being rash, luckily. Instead, she just stood up.

"I'm done eating," she said decidedly, taking her tray (which still had food on it) and leaving. Desiree followed without a word. Semper didn't take long to scamper off after her.

Syca couldn't help feeling disappointed that they left. He liked having his District partner there. Daria was alright, but when she said things like that, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. She was so excited for this, for a fight to the death. Syca couldn't understand it.

"Oh…" Daria sunk a little bit. "I was hoping they'd stay with us so we could all hang out and train this afternoon."

Syca shrugged. Daria was pretty, and he felt shier than ever. Sure, she wasn't naturally pretty like Persei, but she was still pretty. He kept eating, though, knowing he could use the food.

"Guess they're just really dedicated."

Syca nodded. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was used to being left alone, though. Well, so was he.

"The Careers this year are amazing. Have you seen them?"

He swallowed hard and nodded, increasing his eating speed. Amazing wasn't exactly the word he would have used for it. Terrifying was more like it. But, in a sick way, awesome. Awesome, but not amazing. He just kept eating quickly. Daria was all genuine bubbliness, that was for sure. It might have been endearing at first, but her enthusiasm for the Games just made her so hard to manage for the other tributes. Syca hated that he was reaped. He hated being paraded around like a show pig before slaughter. He hated the Games and the glamorization of them, pretty much everything they stood for.

She wasn't from the Districts. She couldn't change the fact that she just wasn't like them. She didn't understand them. Syca felt bad for her, though. She obviously didn't mean any harm. Not yet, anyways. He was trying to give her a chance.

"Desiree looked like she was doing well with the sword she was using." Syca just shrugged again. He really wasn't paying attention to her. He only really noticed her when Persei did.

"I think I'm going to get back at it now that I'm done, but… Thanks for eating with me, Syca." She gave him a sad smile before getting up and throwing her tray away, the boy from Seven following.

Syca decided to use the rest of the day to focus on survival skills. He sat at the fire-building station, next to the boy from Five.

"Hey there," the boy said.

"Oh, hi," Syca said, looking for the trainer. She was helping the boy from Six, so Syca added, "Could you help me with this?"

"Hm? Oh, um, alright. Although I can't say I'm a master at it."

Joule demonstrated, and Syca did the best he could to copy. Joule's fire was soon alight, but Syca's needed some extra help. Luckily, a trainer came to help, and with her assistance, Syca was able to get the hang of making fires. He rotated between survival stations all afternoon. He occasionally gave a side-glance to Persei, but she didn't even seem to notice him.

In a flash, the first day of training was over and Syca was back on his floor with his escort, mentors, and Persei.

Dinner that night was a delicious dish called paella, which Syca couldn't get enough of. The boy ate happily as the mentors made small-talk over dinner. Persei talked about her practice climbing and progress with sparring using axes. Syca wished she would consider allying with him. She was good with the weapon, strong, beautiful, she wasn't afraid to make decisions that Syca was too torn to make himself. She was the kind of person and leader Syca wanted to be with. But she didn't feel the same about him.

Why would she? Syca was not much more than a blubbering idiot around her. He had some skills with an axe and was ready to learn survival skills, but he would never be a badass like Desiree. He knew he should be looking for different options, but the thought of being rejected was too much for him to bear and he thought maybe, if he held out, she'd take him as an ally.

After dinner came dessert, which Syca barely had room for after eating so much paella. Syca talked about his training, trying to put together the right words to impress Persei, his mentor, and his escort too. Kendal was so kind and gentle, the thought of disappointing him upset Syca. Anakyn was young, and really cared about Syca. He was almost like a friend, and Syca wanted to make him proud. His training wasn't quite as interesting as he described, but he didn't _lie_.

After the desert dishes were taken back to the kitchen, Persei went with Helen to her room to talk some strategy before bed, while Anakyn disappeared, leaving Syca with Kendal.

"Have you thought about allies?" the Victor asked, sipping some coffee and looking at him intently.

"Oh, um… Yeah, I've thought about it. I wanted to ask Persei…"

Kendal seemed slightly surprised. "Oh. She's pretty different from you, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but I feel like she'd balance me out really well. But, um… she was talking to Desiree from Six a lot…"

Kendal put his coffee down with a small sigh. "Yes, it seems so."

"I really want to ally with her, though. I just don't know how to ask. I mean, I know how, but every time I try, I just…"

"You might want to consider looking for other options."

Syca sighed dejectedly. "You think there's no hope then?"

"I'd just advise you to consider your options."

"What did you do in your Games?" Even though the Victor was from his home District, he had no idea the events of the Eighty-Fourth Games.

"I was by myself, actually. My alliance happened in the Arena, on the spot. I was with two guys that were pretty similar to me." He sighed quietly. "That's not the point, though. I'm here to help you, after all."

"Right, sorry." Syca looked around, realizing for the first time that the escort had disappeared. "Where's Anakyn?"

"Well he could be any number of places, causing any amount of chaos at this point. You know he's a mechanic?"

"Wait, really?"

"Going to University on a scholarship for mechanical engineering."

"Oh. Cool."

"Yeah. Who knows what he could be up to? He's known to be pretty _mischievous_ , to put it nicely."

"Shouldn't you… Keep tabs on him then?"

Kendal shrugged. "He's probably fine."

"That's reassuring."

Kendal just gave a smile, his brown eyes holding a certain paternal glint to them. "He's a good kid. Really is. I think he just wants the best for everyone."

"Yeah, seems like it."

"Is there anything else you need to ask about training tonight?"

"I don't think so, thanks." Syca smiled a bit.

"Alright then. Shower and get some sleep."

Just then, the aforementioned escort appeared back in the kitchen. "Hey, I just found a bunch of pillows and blankets and construction of an awesome pillow fort has just begun! If you wanna help you can change into your PJs and meet me by the couches."

"Do you think Persei will come?"

Anakyn gave a bright, energetic smile. "Well, she'll definitely be invited!"

Syca quickly went to his room to change into his PJs. After all, there was no harm in letting off some steam with his escort. Syca had never made a pillow fort before. The closest he had gotten had been using some canvas with Camellia to make something resembling a blanket fort, back home in District 7. He would have rather made his first pillow fort with his sister, his best friend, but he wanted to do it before he died, and the possibility was still so prevalent.

He went out to where the fort was already mostly made, obviously by someone with a lot of experience building. When Syca got there, he could hear his mentor from inside the fort. "I ran into Andy on reaping day."

There was a pause.

"She was…" Helen said softly.

"Riella's girlfriend. Amazing how you don't see each other for years, but you still remember their face."

Syca hesitated for a second before he crawled into the pillow fort. It was cozy and very well-made, and Syca relaxed. Anakyn had a lantern on, and both mentors were sitting with him.

"Oh, good to see you Syca. Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Oh, sure, thanks."

"Marshmallows?" Anakyn looked pretty… Real. Without the tattoos on his face, the gentle look in his eyes… He looked like a real person. The mentors both looked cozy and relaxed in their PJs among the pillows.

Syca spent the night hoping Persei would come spend some time with them. Sure, it was warm and cozy and the hot chocolate was nice, but it all would have been nicer, sweeter with Persei.

For the time being, though, Syca tried to enjoy it while he could. He tried to forget about his problems and his worries, thinking about his sister and friends back home.

He didn't know how he could, but he needed to get home.

He'd have to find an alliance, one way or another, and win the Games.

As unlikely as that was.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Woo hoo, another chapter! Hope you liked the recap of Wicke, Bec, and Syca for our first day of training! I realize that I didn't really focus on their time in training, because I have two other days of training to go and didn't want it to be horribly repetitive.**_

 _ **So, I posted the chariot outifts and some short deleted scenes on the blog! Hope you enjoy them! The poll is still up if you haven't voted and Victor dates are still open for submissions! I think that's all I have to say for announcements. Thanks so much for all your lovely support of this story, I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am! :D**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Are there any pairs/groups of tributes you'd like to see interact? This can really help me with future pre Games chapters!**_

 _ **Thanks again! Next chapter will be Training Day 2, as narrated by Nerio, Persei, and Ashlyn!**_


	23. Persei, Nerio, Ashlyn: Playing the Game

-Persei Holloway, 15, District 7-

Being out on the balcony really woke Persei up that morning. Looking down at the city below, the people moving like little ants, the thought of falling so far making her heart beat just a touch faster.

Training was being conducted differently than in the past. Then again, it seemed everything was different this time. After all, it was a Quell. Helen and Kendal, even Anakyn looked plain puzzled when Persei and Syca mentioned they'd had their trackers injected already. Persei had no idea what any of it actually meant, but she couldn't help feeling nervous.

Sure, it was easy to be rough as sandpaper back home, home where the only consequence was having to sit in the stuffy detention room with Mr. Madigan, who always let them go early anyways, home where Persei and Avis were the top dogs and everyone knew it, most people knowing better than to cross them. Here, it was totally different. Here, Persei was the youngest, she wasn't trained like the Careers, she didn't volunteer… It was much, much different than back home.

But, on the bright side, at least she wasn't at the very bottom of the totem pole. No, that position was currently being contested for fiercely by the boy from Eight, who constantly looked like he'd just pissed his pants, the girl from Eleven who still seems to have absolutely no idea that Desiree, Persei, and pretty much everyone in the surrounding area despise her, and, of course, her very own District partner, who couldn't even put a sentence together around her.

 _At least I'm not them_ , she thought smugly. She wasn't in too bad of a place. Sure, she hadn't had the best reaction to being reaped, but that soon wouldn't matter. Her chariot outfit was amazing and unique, not to mention the crowd loved it. She found that using an axe in battle wasn't all too different from using it to work, which would only do her well. And, of course, she had something the others didn't: the cleverest, trickiest, most beautiful girl that would step foot in the Arena as an ally. Not that her being beautiful really mattered. It didn't. It was just a thing, she would be able to get sponsors because of it. That was all. It would be very helpful in the future.

They didn't talk in training, as they were both focusing on different stations. Persei was dealing with an axe, one of the heaviest weapons there, while Desiree was focusing on lighter weapons, swords and knives mostly. She also did traps, Persei noticed. The Seven girl hadn't seen her ally make the traps, but she was sure that they were intricately-crafted, precise, and would catch whatever their targets were.

Persei went back to the District Seven common room. Training was different this year. Instead of the Districts having a required training time, the center was open for twenty-four hours a day. Also, unlike other years, the Tribute Building was all open, so the tributes could access each other's floors whenever they wanted to.

Plus, the top floor, which was previously used for District Twelve's tributes, according to Helen, was now a common room in which the tributes could meet and interact. Persei hadn't been up there yet, but she was itching to know what kind of things were there. She was going to try to get Desiree to go up there with her, maybe for lunch or after dinner. Going up there and exploring an unknown floor sounded like a much better night to Persei than whatever her priss escort had planned. He'd invited her to a pillow fort, a pillow fort for Snow's sake! Like she'd want to play in a pillow fort like she was five, with her District partner nonetheless. Didn't that airhead realize that for her to win, he was going to have to die?! It was _so_ frustrating.

The only useful thing Anakyn said to her since he reaped her was the advice that there were cameras everywhere, collecting footage for very special broadcasts meant to update the crowd on the tributes' budding relationships. He'd assured her that they wouldn't use any… Sensitive content, stuff like showering and changing clothes, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.

These highlights, which premiered bright and early at 6:30 in the morning, weren't required viewing, but they were always helpful to see what the crowd thought.

Persei woke up just to see it, but there wasn't much to report. She was on the screen for a minute or so, eating lunch with the other fifteens and leaving with Desiree, but that was about it. It was mostly the Wicke and Acacia show, considering they met on Wicke's floor to have some hot chocolate together after dinner. The pair from Nine also got some screen-time. It looked like they were trying way too hard to Persei, but the Capitolites were so stupid they probably didn't even think it was an act. Other than that, it was mostly just speculation. Piccolo and Viola discussed a couple possibilities, but they were wild guesses at best, based off of one, maybe two interactions. Then they started talking about something called _Jovenena_ , whatever that was. Persei stopped paying attention there because they'd stopped showing the tributes.

After that, she'd gone out on the balcony, not really in the mood for breakfast or interaction with her mentor and escort and not ready to keep training quite yet. Soon, though, she figured she should get out to the kitchen for breakfast, as she intended to spend all of the recommended hours training to show that she was determined to get back home.

Persei put up her hair and washed her face before mentally preparing herself to deal with the District 7 team. She hated Anakyn and didn't want to interact with him at all, that stupid dolled-up Capitolite, from the place she hated, the place that put her here in the first place. She didn't want his goddamn pity, and she didn't want to be his friend, not after he'd picked her name out of that goddamn bowl. No amount of apologies would make her even consider forgiving him for that. He didn't get to be all buddy-buddy with her after he'd sentenced her to a fight to the death. Especially one like this.

Helen wasn't so bad, when she could just focus. It was true that Helen hadn't intended to string along so many people, but having someone who knew how to do it was extremely helpful here, when swaying people was the name of the game. However, when Anakyn was in the room, absolutely not. He kept trying to get Persei to say something to him, but it was useless. He'd almost set off a goddamn explosion, just to get her to acknowledge that he existed. It was so annoying. But, when Anakyn was bothering Syca and Helen was alone with Persei, she had a fair share of good advice.

Persei met her mentor as she was walking to the kitchen. Helen looked pretty energetic, and Persei knew that even if her mentor was annoying and had the attention span of a goldfish most of the time, she could have done much worse. Kendal was still trying to get Syca to give up on Persei, it seemed. Persei didn't want that to happen, of course. Though she had no interest in her District partner and the thought of having him trailing her and Desiree was actually repulsive, it would be helpful if they were to cross paths in the Arena. After all, that's one less person that wanted to kill Persei, which she was fine with. If it took being a little fake to keep stringing him along, that's what she would do. Now she understood why Helen played ditz all the time, especially in her Games.

"Morning," she said, to which Persei gave a short wave. She was about to enter the dining room when Helen suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt. "Wait!" she said. She sounded urgent, and Persei was suddenly worried. What did her mentor see that she didn't!? Helen stepped forward, kicking the partially open door. When she did, a bucket came flying down, the water that had been inside of it spilling out on the floor. Persei crossed her arms and scowled. No real threat, just another annoying prank. They were really starting to get on Persei's nerves.

"Good try!" Helen said, strutting in the door, before Persei heard the humming of some kind of machine. When she looked in the room, Helen was frozen in place, a bluish-white light surrounding her form coming from some kind of… Laser?!

"Paralyzing laser! Pretty cool, right? You'd better say it's cool, I worked very hard on it!" Persei couldn't believe this. It was so ridiculous. She slipped in the room past Helen's form, as Anakyn gloated about the expert bucket distraction. She grabbed herself a pastry from the platter on the table and left the two three-year-olds, both of who were chittering and chortling about revenge and other shit. She got in the elevator to go down just as Syca was entering the compartment.

It was about seven-thirty when Persei arrived in the training center, just half an hour before the _recommended_ training hours would begin. The training center was already filling up, though, as other tributes had the idea to come early. Before she went to a station, she looked around the center to see if Desiree had arrived. Sure enough, the District Six girl was at the traps station, tying a knot. She locked eyes with Persei, smiling and giving a nod of recognition before going right back to work. Persei fought off a smile of her own as she put the last of her pastry in her mouth. It wasn't exactly your healthiest breakfast, but it was healthy for her goddamn sanity.

She finished off her pastry as she went to an open station. She sat in front of a screen and studied the information displayed on the slides. Each slide had a different kind of Arena on it, and had a list of the many different ways to find food. Between slides, she glanced back to see how Desiree was doing before getting back to work. By eight o'clock, Persei was pretty sure most everyone was in the Center. She wasn't about to stop and count them all, but it seemed like there was the same amount of noise and chaos as there had been the previous day.

Persei stayed focused on the slides in front of her. The first few slides were more general. The first was titled _Nature-Inspired Arenas,_ the next _Civilization-Inspired Arenas,_ the next _Indoor Arenas,_ after that a slide called _Wacky_ _Bullshit Arenas._ Even though Persei hated the Capitol, she laughed a little at that. Maybe whoever had written those slides wasn't so bad after all.

"Wacky bullshit. I'm sorry, slideshow, did you mean my idea of an icebreaker?" Persei looked beside her to see the eighteen-year-old boy from District Nine there. "Nice to meet ya," he said, outstretching his hand. "Jasper Pearce."

"Persei Holloway," she said, reaching out and shaking his hand. She wasn't sure why someone like him would be talking to her, but if she got him to like her, it'd be one less person that wanted to kill her, which was always good.

"Oh, yeah, I remember you, Little Red Riding Hood."

Persei resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her costume was definitely a crowd-favorite, but soon she would prove that she was far more than a cute little girl with a basket. "Don't dress up like my grandma," she said bluntly. "I'll cut you."

Jasper guffawed at that, in a way that almost reminded her of Helen and Anakyn. She bit her tongue, though. The last thing she needed was such a powerful enemy. "Noted! I mean, look how ferocious I am. I'm certainly the Careers' worst nightmare!" he flexed his muscles in a mockingly-arrogant sort of way. It was obviously meant to be a joke. Persei had no idea why he'd be joking around now, instead of getting survival skills, but she just gave him a small smile instead. Anything to stay on his good side.

"You're something all right," she commented, mostly under her breath.

"I saw you on TV this morning," he said.

Persei glanced at the slides. She needed time to learn all this information, she didn't really have time for his antics. She couldn't exactly say that, though. Instead, she said, "I saw you too. You're looking pretty cozy with your District partner." He didn't blush. That was a tell-tale sign that they weren't really a thing. She knew it.

Jasper grinned. He had the lovesick expression down-pat, though. It almost convinced her. Almost. "I guess. We're exes but the Games brought us back together. Fate is rooting for us, I guess." He gave a sigh that sounded like an odd mix between melancholy and half-hearted lovesickness. "I'm glad we can spend this time together. Before it's too late. Y'know?"

Persei shrugged. She had a feeling like Desiree was watching her, maybe to convey some kind of message. She found the other girl, but Desiree was focused on another trap. Jasper gave another sigh, drawing Persei back to the present.

"Well, I'll let you study. It was nice talking to you, Persei!"

The District Seven girl glanced back up at the screen, switching to the next slide, which was all about jungle Arenas.

"Yeah," she breathed. She could feel her heart pumping as she tried to focus on the words. "Nice talking to you too."

* * *

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

Nerio wasn't at the bottom anymore. Maybe he was on the young end of the career alliance, but that didn't matter.

At first he was a little unsure how he'd do compared to so many older Careers. He was among the youngest of the Careers. Not to mention that the others hadn't taken any breaks from training like Nerio had. Yeah, he'd defeated Percival, but he couldn't help the nagging thought that he wasn't ready. Maybe he should have waited one more year…

He recounted his mentor's words. Port didn't speak very much, so when he did, it was usually pretty important.

"Just remember that there's a reason we didn't choose Cruz. This isn't a place for big brutes. This year is a year for strategy." Nerio smiled a bit as he held onto the sword. He may not have been the strongest, but that didn't matter. He was determined to make his parents proud.

Nerio was slightly worried that he would have as much control over his emotions as he thought. Luna seemed to be handling herself- wait for it- _swimmingly_ well, as was expected. Nerio's been observing the other Careers as well, but he was sure Luna could see things he wouldn't pick up on until later.

Blushina, the District Four escort, made sure she was heavily involved in strategizing with Nerio. Port wasn't much of a talker, and definitely wasn't nearly as intelligent as Michael. Blushina helped make up for that, though. She knew what she was doing and was able to help Nerio make some plans. From the program he'd seen that morning, the likelihood of an eight-member Career pack was decreasing rapidly. That could only be a good thing, though. Nerio didn't trust anyone, especially not his District partner. Sure, it was fun to mess with her, but she had been raised cold. Nerio was sure that nothing would warm her up. She would kill him in about two seconds, he'd be stupid to ignore that.

Nerio was back at training as soon as the morning program was over. He was already trying to decide how many directions the Careers would go into if it was fractured by Acacia leaving. The only person he was sure he wanted to stick by was the boy from District 1, Chance. They naturally stuck together because they were both 17-year-old Careers. Their relationship began pretty cold, but it didn't take long for them to warm up to each other. Chance was strong and formidable, and early-on seemed to be a crowd favorite. The two boys had done some training together on the first day. Chance shared some District One tips for throwing knives in return for Nerio giving him pointers about spears. By the end of that, they were much more open with each other.

The training room only had two other people in it when Nerio arrived. He figured that many of the tributes were getting some breakfast before training. Nerio had a small breakfast while he watched the special. The boy from Eleven was working at the fire-building station, but he didn't matter. Chance was shooting a bow on the other side of the room.

Nerio stood and watched him for a little bit. He looked pretty peaceful, each arrow methodical and routine. It was… Endearing. Right, that was the word. It was endearing. Calming, in a way. He was obviously so skilled. Not to mention it was nice seeing Chancellor in the zone, not worried about puffing out his chest and being scary. He was just… Doing what he did. It was… Nice. Nerio enjoyed it.

Chance shot a few arrows. Some hit the outer rim, but it didn't seem to bother him. Nerio wished he could be relaxed like that. Nerio liked training, but it was physically impossible for him to just… Train like that. He couldn't relax when he trained. Every time the spear hit the outer rim, his mind buzzed with a million different things he should have done for it to hit the center. He was always trying to improve. Even if he tried to relax, it was something that he really couldn't help. He always wanted to improve. He never wanted to fail or be subpar.

He was relaxed watching Chance be relaxed, though. It was just so methodical. He knew what he was doing. He was just enjoying being there.

He shot a few more arrows before he noticed Nerio there. The District Four boy couldn't help but feel embarrassed when Chance looked surprised. He must have looked like a major creeper, just standing there and watching Chance like that…

"Hey," he said. He didn't seem too creeped out, much to Nerio's relief.

"Good morning," The Four boy said. "Getting some extra time in?"

"Warming up is more like it," Chance said, smirking. "I just wanted to get here and get my chops ready for a long day of demonstrating my skill. He glanced back at the target, which had arrows littering out outer rings and very few on the bull's eye. "Just warming up." He sounded slightly defensive. As if Nerio was about to judge him for only having two bull's eyes when the District Four boy would have been lucky to hit the target once.

"Well, your warm-up is miles better than me at my peak with that thing," Nerio said reassuringly. He bit his lip, debating whether or not he wants to say what he's thinking. _Oh, fuck it,_ he finally thinks, before he says, "You don't have to pretend with me, you know?"

Chance glanced up, his eyes drilling into him, almost accusingly. "What?"

"I know that playing the macho role is necessary for the crowd, but I'm not the crowd. I already know that you're competent and strong, so you don't have to keep acting this role if you don't want to." Chance's expression didn't change, which made Nerio nervous. He wondered if he'd just gotten himself into trouble. The other boy's expression was unreadable, and Nerio worried that he made the boy from District One angry. For some reason, though, his mouth kept on running.

"It's… Okay that you're not perfect." Nerio struggled to believe this about himself, but he kept going. "Nobody is. But even if you hit he outer rim sixty times, you're still a hell of a man and I fear you and I'm glad we're allies, y'know? Um…" Nerio had no idea how he was about to dig himself out of this trap. He had certainly gotten himself into a mess. He remembered an offhand comment that Chance wasn't straight, but he suddenly wondered if he'd just made it up.

Chance just stared at him for a second, then laughed. It was a wonderful sound to hear. Nerio's heart fluttered with relief that he hadn't just totally fucked himself over.

"So maybe I don't always hit the bull's eye. It's just in my blood, y'know?"

Nerio scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, me too."

"I think that's just… the life. Growing up training for the Games, surrounded by other boys that want you to fall on your face."

Nerio laughed. "Yeah, I get that. I get that, maybe too well."

Chance smiled. _God, he's hot._ Nerio couldn't help but be at least a little awkward around the boy from One. Dark hair, blue eyes… Nerio quickly snapped out of it. After all, this was the Hunger Games. He had to keep his guard up. He'd seen Chance in action, and his victims surely wouldn't stand a chance against him. They were all here for a reason: to win. Nerio still intended on doing so.

"Then you think, _hey, I made it_. But then you get here, and it's the same thing but ten times worse," Chance said.

"Amen to that. Luna is ruthless."

"Wicke's alright, but only because she has to be."

"I don't trust any of them."

"Me neither."

There was a pause. Nerio's thoughts wandered slightly. After all, this was the Hunger Games, but it was more than that. Here, the politics were more important than ever. Wicke and Acacia had so much screen time, surely the crowd would give them as much money as they needed when the Games came. Blushina had mentioned that they were being filmed, that the Capitolites were looking for power-couples to get behind…

"Have you thought about how you're going to get sponsors at all?" Nerio asked.

"Hm? Oh, um, not really. I mean, Namibia was all about Wicke after that little fling she was having with Acacia, and the crowd's already behind that couple from Nine, but…"

"What if…" Holy hell, this was awkward. "I mean, you don't have to, but-"

"You think they'd get behind us?"

Nerio grinned. "We could be the deadliest couple in these Games."

Chance considered it. "Let's team up," he said finally. "We'll meet up sometime. That'll make them remember us."

Nerio grinned. He'd scored the strongest, sexiest teammate in the entire Tribute Building. "Good."

"If drama and a good show is what they want, that's what we'll give them."

"Drama and a good show it is."

The boys could hear the cheerful, loud voice of Acacia as the other Careers soon filed in, followed by the other tributes, slowly but surely. By eight, the Training Center was full of tributes, working and doing their best to learn the skills they would need for the Games.

Nerio spent some time with spears, training alongside Acacia, who talked his ear off. She was talking about how much she enjoyed the Capitol, and spending time with Wicke. Nerio just grinned and listened. The more he knew about all the others, the better he could outdo them.

Eventually, Nerio found himself back at the stations for throwing knives. He wanted to show his versatility and figured if he could learn something from this process, that would only be good for him. He was throwing pretty well, hitting spots that would definitely hurt opponents. He could feel a pair of eyes on him and, when he looked over, he saw another boy watching him, with strawberry blond hair and light blue eyes. His eyes had a different kind of energy than Chance's, but it wasn't necessarily… Bad.

"You're pretty good at that."

"Hm. Thanks."

"I'm Joule."

"Nerio."

"Nice to meet you Nerio." Nerio reached out and curtly shook his hand firmly. Joule's grip was light and slightly clammy. Nerio give a small nod, knowing the importance of establishing dominance.

"Think you could give me any pointers?"

"Hm." Nerio wanted to get them to remember him, so he decided to play with this guy a bit. Not too much, just enough to cause some twittering. Blushina had suggested playing the heartbreaker angle. She argued that it was something Nerio could do, he had the looks for it and the charm. _It would make you look desirable,_ she'd said. If that would get him sponsors, he'd do the best he could. It was hard to warm up to someone too quickly, especially here, but as long as he stayed in control, what would be the harm in it? "I suppose."

He didn't tell Joule anything that Chance had told him the day before. Instead, he ran through the typical Four beginner spiel. He had to keep some of his secrets, after all. Joule listened, looking extremely interested in what he was saying. When his stance was off, Nerio put his hands on his shoulders to help him fix it. Nerio helped him with his grip, and positioning of his torso. It was all innocent, but based on the way Joule blushed, Nerio could tell he was getting in this guy's head. Soon, Joule had a good start, and Nerio could go back to focusing on his throws. Joule complimented his throws every once in a while, but other than that they didn't talk, just worked side by side.

Nerio's mental wheels turned rapidly with each throw, and nothing broke his focus. Nothing, that was, until the boy from five spoke again.

"Hey, Nerio, would you want to swim with me?"

Nerio glanced back at the door that lead to the pool room. He _had_ been itching for a swim. He couldn't help being slightly suspicious though.

"Do you know how?"

Joule nodded. "D5U has a gym area with a pool, it's about half an hour from my house. It's nice, I like it, I swim there a lot. So, what do you say?"

Nerio smiled. "Sure. Why not?" He put a friendly hand on Joule's shoulder, who bit his lip. They were about to head to the locker room when Nerio felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Hey! Nerio!" It was Chance. He'd walked here from the bows station, it seemed.

"Oh, hey, what's up?"

"I was just going to ask you that." His grip on the District Four boy's shoulder tightened.

"I was just going to hit the pool."

"Huh. Well, that's surprising, because I thought you could swim just fine, why would you have to practice that?" He sounded pretty irritated. Nerio was worried he'd gotten himself in trouble, but kept a cool head.

"I figured I'd show off a bit."

"To who?"

"Whoever's watching, I guess." Nerio didn't know, honestly. "I was just going there with Joule, from Five."

Chance gave the boy an ice-cold glare, causing him to quickly say, "I'll meet you there if you want," and hurrying to the locker room. As intimidating as it was, Nerio couldn't help thinking it was just a little bit funny, how bothered he seemed to be. Maybe it was just an act, but Nerio was pretty sure nobody could act out a glare as piercingly ice cold as that one was.

"What the fuck man, I thought we were going to team up," Chance said, quietly but intensely.

"Cool your jets, Dear, I'm just messing with him."

"Well he seems to be interested."

"Just relax, the crowd's going to love the drama of it all. Meet me upstairs after dinner and we can act out some kind of jealousy conversation that ends in a bold proclamation of love."

"Act jealous." Chance let go of Nerio's shoulder. "Alright. Fine. I'll meet you then."

Nerio couldn't help smirking as he went to the locker room and changed into some swim trunks.

He ran out and jumped in the pool, glad to be back in his element again.

* * *

-Ashlyn Bayard, 17, District 12-

She could tell from the look in her District partner's eyes that he recognized her. She had no idea where from, at first. However, upon getting a good look into his eyes, the memories came flying back. That expression, the look in his eyes. There was something about it that was unique. Gentle, but solemn. She knew exactly who he was and where they had first met. And by the look on his face, devoid of the pity Ashlyn hated, she knew that he remembered her too.

He had asked for Allegra to mentor him. Braelyn had offered to work for both of them, as Allegra spent much of her time in the Capitol hiding in her room, but Jacques assured Braelyn that it was alright, he'd be fine.

Ashyln was sure the goddamn boy was suicidal. The way he was always so resigned, he just didn't seem to care! Ashyln couldn't help feeling angry that he would waste his chance. Didn't he see that he was lucky to be alive?! Didn't he understand that life was a gift!? Why wouldn't he want to keep living?! Why wouldn't anyone?! Ashlyn hated him for that. She hated that he would just give up. Aspen never fucking gave up. Even when he was on death's door he tried everything to stay there, because he loved his sister and his family, goddammit, and _living_.

Ashyln would never forgive Jacques for acting this way. It wasn't fair to those people that wanted to live, people that never fucking deserve to have their lives cut short. Why did people like Jacques get to live when people like Aspen had to die?! Ashlyn was still mad, even days later. Every time she fucking thought about it she was filled with rage. She couldn't help it, she was just so mad. She spent her nights awake. _Alright, if Jacques wants to be fucking dead so much, I'll make it happen for him!_ she would think. Each night she came up with different ways to make him realize that life was fucking important before giving him the death he so obviously craved.

Allegra was a broken person. The few times she had emerged to eat meals with Ambrose and the rest of the Dsitrict 12 team, she had a blank look in her eyes. She would shovel food in her mouth slowly. Before the meal was over, she would go into a fit, screaming and crying, shoving Braelyn away and running back to her room. Even in there, the screams didn't stop. They were so loud and so piercing. It exhausted Ashlyn. One of these days she'd go up a floor to the common room, maybe there she could actually sleep. She hated Allegra's pathetic breakdowns, but tried to have some slack on her. Ashlyn knew what it was like to be broken, after all.

Ambrose and Ashlyn had a pretty rocky relationship. Over dinner the previous night they'd scolded Ashlyn for "having a tantrum" like she was a five-year-old. They were another fake-ass bitch just like the whole lot of them. They were nice but it was obviously just an act. Who would ever want to be nice to the pathetic girl who had lost her world and was left with nothing?! Who would ever love someone like her? Ambrose had apologized, but Ashlyn still hated them. They seemed not-so-bad, but nobody who seemed not-so-bad was actually not-so-bad.

Braelyn was the most tolerable of the group. After all, it was her job to work with Ashlyn. She had to have her tribute's best interests in mind, even if she didn't want to. She did have some good advice, on top of it. After all, she was a seasoned Games veteran. Ashlyn was open to listen to her. Plus, she wasn't fucking annoying like the others. And frankly, that was enough for her.

Ashlyn spent the morning at the hand-to-hand station focusing on defense tactics. She was getting more and more agile as the trainer explained things about fighting. Best of all, when she was fighting, she was moving so fast that nobody could stare at her scars. Nobody could see the physical reminder of what happened to her that day. All they were focused on was the fight. And, in return, that was all she'd focus I think you're ready to move to a more advanced trainer." She pointed to another mat, which was currently the site of a fight match between another trainer, a man with silver hair, and the girl from District Three, Kaelys. Ashlyn remembered her reaping. Many people, including Braelyn and Ambrose, were focusing so much on the volunteer that they hadn't even remembered seeing his District partner. Ashlyn remembered her, though. Something about her stuck out. _"This is not the end of us."_ That was what she said.

She didn't look like the type that was able to fight, let alone willing. But, Ashlyn could tell that she'd had plenty of experience. She was ruthless on the offensive, not showing the trainer any mercy. Nobody would expect such power to come from such a sweet-looking girl. Ashlyn could appreciate that. Kaelys beat the trainer into submission, who was groaning by the time she was done. When she looked up and noticed Ashlyn watching her, she crossed her arms and glared. There was no pity in this girl's eyes as she approached Ashlyn, only coldness.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she asked, crossing her arms defensively.

"Just watching," Ashlyn said.

"What, you didn't expect me to be able to fight just because I have a pretty face?" Kaelys's tone had a bite to it.

Ashlyn was a fire. She was easy to anger, she was explosive. Ashlyn was a firecracker. Surely she should have been seething. Surely she would have held another grudge, surely she should have been planning ways to kill Kaelys without anyone knowing who did it. Maybe. But something about this girl was different.

People were often too afraid to be rough with Ashlyn because they thought she was delicate. She didn't want their pity, though. She wanted them to treat her like a goddamn human being, even if it was ugly! And that's exactly what Kaelys was doing.

"No, I didn't. You're really good though." It was the first compliment Ashlyn had given in years. It caught the District Three girl off guard.

"Oh. Thanks. Sorry I sprung on you. I'm just pretty used to…"

"Bad intentions."

"Yeah. That's it." The two girls stood in a slightly awkward silence. Ashlyn wasn't used to this. Usually she hated most people, but this girl had something about her that Ashlyn could respect.

"Could you let me in on some of your techniques? I'm trying to up my defense."

"Oh, um… Yeah, sure. Why not?"

The two girls moved onto a mat across from each other, Kaelys explaining the moves before demonstrating. Sometimes the trainers tried to interrupt her, on the pretense of "clean" or "educated" fighting. Ashlyn hated them for that. Of course the Capitol would have to rub their grubby hands on everything. _No 'dirty' fighting, because heavens forbid you fight like filthy District citizens! Fight like Capitolites, that's the right way! Capitol is right, Districts are wrong!_ Goddamn it, Ashlyn hated them. She wanted them to shut their stupid mouths. Obviously, Kaelys's moves were more than sufficient in taking others down, so why did it matter where she learned them!? Ashlyn scowled every time they opened their big fat mouths, trying to focus on Kaelys, who was probably fifty times as knowledgable as any of them.

They kept that up until Ashlyn decided she was ready for some lunch. When Kaelys asked if she could tag along, Ashlyn simply nodded her head. Maybe Kaelys wasn't the nicest person there, but dammit she was real. She was an actual person. Not a fake bitch like Ambrose and that stupid, bubbly Acacia.

Ashlyn and Kaelys got food and sat across from each other. Neither of them talked very much, but Ashlyn didn't mind. She wasn't open enough to talk about anything of value and she wasn't patient enough to tolerate small-talk. She wondered how different their dynamic would be if Aspen were there. He would have had the best way to break the ice. He could get this girl to laugh. He'd be nudging Ashlyn the entire time under the table. She'd glare at him, disgruntled that he was embarrassing her.

Aspen didn't even live long enough to know she was gay. She hadn't known until she was sixteen, and by then it was too late, he was already gone. She came out to him, though, in her bedroom, imagining the scene as it would have happened. Sometimes, she liked to have conversations with him. It helped her organize her thoughts.

He wasn't here, though. He wasn't here and she was scarred and hideous and the whole world could see how broken she was. She couldn't run and hide from it. She was a freak. She scared people. Nobody could love a freak like her.

"Are you going to have allies?" Kaelys asked, munching on some broccoli.

"Oh. Um, yeah, I've considered." Ashlyn knew that she only wanted one ally. More than one was just asking for trouble, after all, this was the Hunger Games. She was also considering her mentor's advice. Knowing the twist, and how mixing love and death only causes trouble, Braelyn suggested that Ashlyn take an ally that she couldn't possibly fall for. It was the best strategy to avoid heartbreak. And if there was one thing Ashlyn refused to do, it was have her heart broken again. She'd already learned her lesson, and knew that the Hunger Games was no place for friendship, no place for love. It seemed like the best bet. However, having an ally that was strong like Kaelys was a tempting deal.

"Me too. I'm putting a group together and you seem like a good fit. What do you say?"

Ashlyn swallowed hard. That sounded like a nightmare. She figured that this was for the better, though. She didn't want to risk opening her heart again, and she would do whatever she could to keep from being vulnerable.

"I was actually looking for a smaller alliance." Ashlyn stood up, grabbing her tray. "Sorry."

"Oh, um, alright. I understand." Kaelys had a sad look in her eyes. "If you're ever interested, though… Let me know."

"Will do. Thanks." Ashlyn stood up, quickly throwing her tray away and heading back to the Center to focus on training for the afternoon.

She went to the traps station. She sat down next to the boy from District Eight, who was mimicking the trainer across from him. From the very beginning Semper's seemed isolated, which Ashlyn noted could be because he was trying to emotionally detach himself. He was quiet and did his work. Plus, a fifteen-year-old boy was the least likely person for Ashlyn to have romantic feelings for.

She glanced at the trap he was making. It looked pretty complex, but also very well-made.

"Welcome!" the trainer said when she saw Ashlyn. Her voice was so fake and obnoxiously bubbly, it made her seethe. She hated the Capitol, she hated all the bunch of them so much. "What kind of trap would you like to make?" It sounded like she was taking Ashlyn's dinner order, not teaching her to make a fucking death trap.

"Something basic to start, I guess," she said, her voice a bit more hostile than she may have meant for it. She didn't mind though. Semper sunk a little bit but stayed focused on his work as the trainer started to guide Ashlyn.

"Alright, so first we're going to take this rope and we're going to tie a knot. So, to do that-"

"I don't need your help, thank you," Ashlyn said irritably, so the trainer left her with a diagram of how to make the trap. Ashlyn followed the pictures to the best of her ability.

Next to her, she heard Semper mumbling beside her. "Take the rope and pull it through, just like that, Alfie, see there?" He paused, as if waiting for a response. "Yeah, I'm going to use it to get back home."

"Who are you talking to?" Ashlyn asked. Semper jumped, his face flushing red.

"Oh. Um… My older brother… But, um, he's… Dead." Semper stared at his hands, frowning.

"Oh. I understand." She really did. Sometimes it was helpful to feel like you have a companion.

Semper glanced up at her.

"I'm Ashlyn," she said. He didn't seem so bad.

"Semper." He talked quietly, but Ashlyn didn't mind that he was shy. Having a quiet ally wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Nice trap."

"Oh… Thanks." He glanced back at his hands.

"Are you going with the rest of the fifteen-year-olds?" Ashlyn asked. Might as well be straightforward.

Semper bit his lip, glancing around. He seemed slightly nervous, and just shrugged. "Dunno. It's complicated right now."

"Well if you want an ally that isn't complicated, maybe we can talk."

Semper looked surprised, but not in a bad way. "Oh. Huh." He gave a small, shy smile. "Yeah, maybe."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Yay, another chapter done! It's fun to start hinting at some of the alliances, friendships, and ships that are going to be developing! And some of the different ships that are going to be acting it out, as well!**_

 _ **As for announcements, I don't think there's anything new. I'm still answering fanmail and posting drawings on the blog!**_

 _ **OH I remembered something! Would you guys be interested in me making a playlist for this story? I would either do one big playlist for all the characters/ships or make multiple, smaller playlists for specific ships. These playlists would include the theme songs included on the tribute forms and other songs I found that would fit. Considering the fact that we're not allowed to use lyrics here. I dunno, if nobody's interested I won't do it, but if you're interested let me know and I'll get to it!**_

 _ **Chapter Questions: Hm… Give me some future predictions! Will Nerio and Chance steal the show? Will Joule get between them? Will Persei and Desiree be a dream team? Will Ashlyn and Semper team up? Plus any other things you think will happen or want to see.**_

 _ **Thank you all so much for all your support and reviews! I love to know what you think and what you want to see! Next chapter we'll hear from Ollie, Joule, and Luna for Private Sessions and Training Scores!**_


	24. Ollie, Lux: Private Session Reports

-Ollie Kirk, 17, District 11-

Two days of training down. Ollie couldn't believe that it had gone by so quickly. He had been working hard, in the off-hours when nobody else was there, and in the daytimes. He was tired, but couldn't sleep. He was too busy thinking about all the ways he could die within the next few days, and that didn't exactly scream sweet dreams.

Through the past few days Ollie had talked to many tributes. He had talked to Bec, of course, and had been approached by other tributes. Acacia from Two was bubbly, but far too excited about killing for Ollie's taste. He had plenty of questions for her as he'd never heard of these "nonbinary" genders before, but she soon skipped off to talk to the One girl. Ollie was observant enough (and watched the morning specials enough) to know that those two were going to be one of the strongest teams in the Games.

Another person Ollie talked to was Jasper. Jasper had talked to every tribute, Ollie noticed, from the bubbly girl from District Eight to the cold girl from Seven. He and his District partner obviously had something going, though, so Ollie wondered if they were looking to form a big group. If that was the case, he would certainly be open to it. He supposed there would be a couple more nights of interactions before alliances were officially solidified. Ollie only hoped that he could find one that would accept him in time.

Daria was bubbly, but her attitude was starting to annoy some of the other tributes. Ollie would ally with her, though, if he had no other options. At least it would be someone. Besides, she wasn't really so bad. Her optimistic attitude was heart-warming, and surely she'd have plenty of sponsors. She could definitely be an asset, a secret weapon. Ollie immediately caught himself, scolding himself for seeing her as a token. But, as Chervil had made abundantly clear to him, that was how the Games worked. Ollie still felt torn, though.

He showered and changed into his PJs, but he still wasn't tired. He tried to sleep, but soon was up and moving again. The rest of his compartment would surely be asleep by now, as Daria was very strict on bedtime and Bonaventure wasn't exactly a night owl. The mentors were not social people and preferred to spend as much time as possible in their rooms. Ollie was free to explore.

He was always a curious person, and now he was going to explore the Center a bit. He hadn't been up in the common room, but from his small-talk with Acacia he heard it was a lot of fun. He wanted to see it all for himself, though. He had been focused on Training the first few nights, but now he was taking a personal night to save his energy for Private Sessions the next day. The common room was dimly lit, the only person inside was an Avox, silently watching him. His eyes followed Ollie around the room in a way that was slightly unnerving, but comforting. Ollie went to the elevator and called it. It glided quietly to get him, and the ride up to the top floor was short and sweet. The doors slid open and Ollie stepped out.

The floor was huge and separated into different areas. There was an area with a lot of tables that must have been Games, an area with couches and a television, and a closed-in area. When Ollie looked in, he saw the beach. It wasn't real, he quickly found, but it was extremely realistic. He could practically feel the summer breeze. On the floor there was a blanket, looking at the sunset ocean. There was a keypad on the far side that could have probably been used to change the scene.

There was another area surrounded by glass windows. The door said _VIDEO GAME SIMULATION_ on a golden plaque. Video games? Ollie had only ever heard of those, and now he was experiencing it. There was also a small bar on the other side of the room, plus what appeared to be a dance floor and a stereo.

Ollie wandered over to the tables to see what they were. In all honesty, he had no idea. One of them was green and made out of a soft material. On the table was a triangle that was filled with differently-colored balls. By the table were a couple of sticks and a white ball.

Over the other side of the table was a pair of round, light brown eyes, watching him. They had a glint in them that interested Ollie.

"What brings you here?" she asked, sounding slightly defensive. As if this floor were off limits to everyone but herself. It was the girl from District Seven. Ollie didn't really know much about her, except for the fact that she froze at her reaping. She seemed pretty cold, and spent most of her training time by herself, eating lunch with the fifteen-year-olds. Some of the Capitol specials showed her and Desiree communicating, so Ollie could guess who she'd be allying with.

"I was curious," Ollie said simply, remaining patient with the girl. Maybe she was just scared and coping with her rough exterior. "You?"

"Same." There was a brief silence between them. Ollie really wasn't sure what to say. Persei was the next to speak up. "Do you know what this is?"

"I don't," Ollie said. He picked up one of the sticks and examined it. Persei did the same. When Ollie could see her better in the dim light of the room, he couldn't help but smile. She was wearing her PJs, with a little red blanket over her head like her chariot outfit.

They heard footsteps and when Ollie looked up next, he saw a mousy-looking young Avox with red hair and round brown eyes. He gestured to the table and raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

"Could you show us how to play?" Ollie asked. He was extremely curious, he had to admit. The boy nodded, looking pleased that he could do something for them. He took the triangle off the balls on one side of the table, then put the white ball on the other. He hit it using the stick. When the ball hit the triangle, the other balls scattered every direction. Ollie watched the boy point to the balls and then to some pouches on the side of the table.

"We have to get the colored ones in there?" Persei asked, and the boy nodded. He proceeded to show them the rest of the rules, that one player was stripes and one solids, and the black ball with the 8 on it was the last one that would be put in the holes. He then showed them how to rub some blue chalk on the ends of the sticks. When he was done, Ollie thanked him and he went back to the other side of the room.

"You don't have to thank Avoxes," Persei said, as she gathered the balls again and put them in the triangle.

"I like to anyways," Ollie said. "It's natural for me to thank people who do things for me. It's how I was raised."

"Hm." Persei moved the triangle. "Do you want to hit the white one or me?"

"You can," Ollie said good-naturedly, with a smile. Persei paused, her gaze lingering on him for a second before she stepped forward. It took a couple tries for her to hit the ball, but soon they got into the swing of the game. After that game, they played a few more games with the help of the Avox boy showing them what to do. Together, the two of them lost track of time, until it was almost two in the morning.

"Oh man, we should probably sleep…" Ollie said. He felt so tired all of a sudden.

"Oh, right… Sorry."

"Sorry? It's fine! I had fun." Ollie called the elevator, and the doors opened almost immediately. The tributes stepped inside the elevator together. Ollie hit the eleven and seven buttons.

Persei wrapped herself up in the blanket, the elevator much colder than the warm, inviting game room. "Yeah, I had fun too." It didn't take long for the elevator to stop on the Eleventh floor.

"Hey, have a good sleep now," Ollie said kindly.

Persei sunk a little bit but offered the smallest smile in return. "Yeah. You too."

Ollie gave a small wave and smile before going back to his room. He was still smiling as he crawled into bed. Now he was ready to fall asleep and have some sweet dreams.

.

He wasn't in such a good mood when Bonaventure woke him up the next morning. He was tired and nervous for Private Sessions the next day. He needed to show the Gamemakers that he had a chance and they could rally behind him. And, in an Arena with eight tributes that have trained, the task seemed impossible for the gentle, sensitive, boy from District Eleven who _cried_ when he got reaped.

He couldn't forget that he was the only one that cried. The others had been able to keep their composure, at least until entering the Justice Building. Ollie was the one that, more than anyone, had to prove himself.

His mentor wasn't any help. Chervil made it clear that he wasn't comfortable with most of what was happening. He couldn't watch the interaction between Chance and Nerio up on the roof. Not only because they were both Careers, but also because they were both boys. Ollie, being the nephew of two married men, had seen his share of homophobia, but never at such a personal level. Defending his Uncles was easy, it was much harder to defend people he would be facing in a fight to the death.

Bonaventure tried to be a help as much as he could. Ollie was intimidated by him as he was a towering presence and so quiet, but in reality wasn't so bad a guy. He showed Ollie a picture of his cats and gave him a pamphlet with a bunch of different romantic orientations in it. Ollie had never heard of pansexuality, but he was immediately interested. He'd heard a lot about bisexuality from his Uncle Fennel, who identified that way, but he was drawn to that label for some weird reason. Pansexuality. Ollie thought he'd figured out his sexuality, but this was bringing back some of those questions. That wasn't so bad, though. In fact it was kind of exciting.

Then again, there were still doubts as there had always been. One of the most common associations with bisexuality Ollie had seen was greed. Sometimes he just felt so greedy, he couldn't help it. People so often perceived bisexual people as threesome-lovers who could never be loyal to one person. And sometimes, Ollie wondered if he was just being greedy. Maybe this was all in his head because he wanted to be like his Uncle Fennel. It was a feeling he couldn't shake, and it was even harder to swallow with a mentor that was so repulsed by same-sex relationships.

He picked at breakfast silently. Daria chattered away nervously, and Bonaventure listened and nodded. Skeeter didn't come out before they had to go, and Chervil wasn't out for very long, nor did he seem very intent on talking. Soon, the tributes were going down to the bottom floor, where Ollie had spent so much of his time. He spent the morning practicing everything he wanted to do for the Gamemakers.

All the tributes ate lunch at the same time that day, revealing that groups were definitely starting to solidify. The Careers were no longer all sitting together, instead in three fractioned parts: Chance and Nerio off by themselves, Acacia and Wicke at a different table, and the others congregated together. Even with the splitting off, though, it appeared as if the Career alliance would be close to breaking even with five, as they'd picked up another tribute that surprised Ollie: the girl from District Eight. Ollie had no idea how that happened. She must have been pretty persuasive.

Ollie sat with Jasper and June from Nine, who were joined by Kaelys from Three. It didn't take long for Jacques to join them. Ollie had done some training with Jacques. He was pretty nice, really, but they hadn't committed to allying. Jasper made cheerful small-talk the whole times as he played footsies with June under the table. Ollie, despite the situation, couldn't help envying them. He'd never been in a relationship before, and he'd always wanted to. At least those two got to feel those feelings before dying. Ollie hadn't even tasted honey, as he wanted to wait until he got married. He wanted to feel those feelings that made even Uncle Hemlock smile like a goober. Maybe he'd had crushes before, but nobody liked him that way. And they might not ever.

"Tributes. Please move to the Common Room for your Private Sessions."

"Good luck everyone!" Jasper said, giving a wink.

"Private sessions! Woo hoo!" Cheered Acacia as they were escorted to a small, fairly comfortable room. Ollie took a seat on a soft, plushy recliner as the first tribute was called. "Chancellor Magnusun, District 1."

Ollie's heart pounded as Chance got up, giving Nerio a nod.

It was going to be a long, nerve-wracking wait.

* * *

 _PRIVATE SESSION ASSESSMENTS FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL QUARTER QUELL_

 _Preface: The following pages contain the assessments of each of the tributes from this, the One Hundred Twenty-Fifth Annual Hunger Games, the Fifth Annual Quarter Quell. The twist for this particular Quell is as follows: "For the One Hundred Twenty-Fifth Hunger Games, as a reminder to the Districts that many people lost loved ones, the reaping age will be narrowed from fifteen to eighteen, and the tributes will fall in love during their time in the Games." The following files are documentation of the tributes that will be fighting in these Games and the way they are evaluated by myself, Lux Hastings, and the rest of my team of Gamemakers and Scientists. Upon arrival at the Capitol, the tributes were injected with Q-serum, a mixture of hormones that will make them more susceptible to romantic and sexual feelings towards others. Over the course of these five days, our team of professionals has logged these tributes interactions with each other and with the aspects of training in order to determine their skills and odds. The following pages are an abbreviated summary of our assessment of each tribute based on their interactions and especially their private training sessions. These will justify the suggested training scores for each tribute and give our Announcer, Viola Wallace, and our interviewer, Piccolo Wallace, suggested points of conversation for each tribute._

 _The abbreviated form will be presented in the following fashion:_

 _NAME, AGE, DISTRICT _

_IDENTIFICATION CODE: Code for the tribute in the computer system, for easy access._

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: A brief description of the tribute's chosen demonstrated skill during their private session._

 _STRATEGY: Speculation as to the tribute's strategy going into the Games._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: A list of the most important people the tribute talked to and their relationship with them._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: A small paragraph from Lux to Mx. Piccolo Wallace, regarding the best way to interview the tribute and what kind of questions to ask._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: A small paragraph to Miss Viola Wallace, regarding the best facts to announce about the tributes when announcing their scores._

 _ODDS: A prediction of how the tributes will do. Average odds are 24-1._

 _NOTES: Any extra observations about the tribute from the Gamemaking team. Some of this information can be relayed to mentors if applicable._

* * *

 _CHANCELLOR MAGNUSUN, 17, DISTRICT 1_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: CM0130_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Chancellor began his session strongly with throwing knives. He began with the stationary dummy, hitting the bull's eye seven times, the inner rim two times and the outer rim once. He visibly tensed when he hit the outer rim. He completed the Advanced Level Hologram Simulation, lethally hitting all ten and leaving the simulation uninjured. Showed off bow and arrow skills on stationary dummies, hitting the bull's eye six times, the inner rim three times and the outer rim once. He also demonstrated skills in hand-to-hand combat, successfully taking down the trainer in all five battles he challenged._

 _STRATEGY: Chancellor, though he is among the youngest Career, is certainly one of the strongest. He has the physical skill as he's been training for a long time. He seems to be friendly enough, but is not sticking with the big Career group. He is sticking with Nerio Thames of District Four, another trained and determined Career. He is playing the cold, intimidating angle._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Nerio Thames, NT0430. Chance and Nerio are widely shipped by the Capitol and are doing spectacularly in the polls. Much of the footage shows that they are merely acting, but the act is enough for the crowd. After proclaiming his love, the Capitol favor has gone towards this power couple. However, Nerio has also been flirting with the boy from District Five, Joule Barode, which adds a dramatic turn. Whether or not Nerio and Chancellor's feelings become genuine is still a question._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: He is one of the strongest tributes, and the crowd is already intimidated. Try to get some of his personality out of him. The crowd loves him and Nerio as well, so any questions about Nerio will be well-accepted._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: He is extremely strong, which announcing will cover. However, bringing out his personality will be helpful._

 _ODDS: 5-1_

 _NOTES: He just has to keep a level head and he can have this in the bag. He and Nerio will be an unstoppable team._

* * *

 _WICKE VALNTINE, 18, DISTRICT 1_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: WV0140_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Wicke's private session began with her demonstration of her hand-to-hand combat skills. After challenging the trainer, Wicke took the fight to the balance beam, showing a strong defense while balancing until she could gain the upper hand on the trainer, who was much more clumsy. She demonstrated skill with a war scythe, showing her knowledge of the most lethal areas for quick kills. In the Holograph Simulation on the Advanced Level, she quickly and cleanly killed all ten holographs that challenged her, using her flexibility and agility to dodge attacks and draw in on her targets. She showed more of her flexibility from her training as a gymnast by doing flips and demonstrating ways in which her training helps her fighting._

 _STRATEGY: Wicke was the first one to be adamant about splitting from the Careers. Because of that, there may be a target on her back from the group. She has not talked to many other tributes and has kept to herself: except around the District Two tribute Acacia Blasdell. She seems to be quite close with her ally, and the two of them make a very strong team. Wicke has proven her determination and skill, and the crowd likes her bond with Acacia very much._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Acacia Blasdell, AB0250. Acacia is the only tribute Wicke seems to care for, but the two are all each other needs. They make a good team and a strong power-couple, and the fact that they're both asexual will only help their bond. This alliance runs strongly on trust and seems to be totally genuine. The possibility that they will develop romantic feelings is fairly high, even if it is only acting for the crowds._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: She is probably not going to be all too open, but she knows that she has to win the crowds. Her gymnastic background is unique for a girl from her District, so talking about that could be good. See what story you can get out of her._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: She is here to win, and that is one thing sponsors always look for. By highlighting her determination to place first, she'll be put on a pedestal by sponsors._

 _ODDS: 8-1_

 _NOTES: She has the skills and the mindset, but her genuine relationship with Acacia may cause her downfall. If she keeps her eyes on the prize, though, it will be hard to stop her._

* * *

 _ACACIA BLASDELL, 18, DISTRICT 2_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: AB0250_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Acacia showed skill with swords, stabbing a stationary dummy quickly and cleanly. She demonstrated her ability to handle the weapon before taking on the Holographic Simulation with spears. On the Advanced Level, she killed all ten holographs without sustaining any injuries. Her session was short and sweet. Throwing at the stationary dummy, she hit the bull's eye four times, the inner rim three times and the outer rim three times._

 _STRATEGY: Acacia is genuine and legitimate. She is putting everything out there for better or for worse. She talked to every other tribute some time through the course of training and seems to be trying to make friends. However, at the request of Wicke Valentine from District One, she split away from the other Careers. She won over the crowds with her attitude and is playing a game of both skill and strategy. However, wearing her heart on her sleeve may cause disastrous consequences for her, especially with the addition of the Q-serum._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Wicke Valentine, WV0140. Wicke and Acacia bonded quickly and were the first to split from the other Careers. They make a good team and a strong power-couple. This alliance runs strongly on trust and seems to be totally genuine. The possibility that they will develop romantic feelings is fairly high, even if it is only acting for the crowds._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Feed off of her energy. It's very likely that you both will be bouncing off the walls. Just try at least a little bit to keep things under control so that nobody sets anything on fire._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Acacia kind of plays two contradicting angles: sweet tribute and deadly killer. Portraying her as a strong killer with a soft spot for Wicke will give her the best chance._

 _ODDS: 5-1_

 _NOTES: She has what it takes to win for sure, but her emotions may get in the way. Only time will tell._

* * *

 _DANIA LIDANO, 18, DISTRICT 2_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: DL0240_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Dania's private session was short, sweet and to-the-point. She began with battle axes, showing her ferocity by maiming the stationary dummies provided. In the Holographic Simulation, she completed the Advanced Level without sustaining any injuries, killing all Ten holographs. The final holograph suffered a particularly painful death, after both of its arms were severed and she put it out of its misery. She is obviously ferocious though she is short and many tributes are going to regret crossing her in the Arena._

 _STRATEGY: Dania's strategy is straightforward and simple. She clearly does not want to be underestimated and plans to show her ferocity from the very beginning. She is with the Career alliance, and though she wasn't quite sure about allowing Ester in, she was the third to be convinced. She is very calculating and seems to know exactly what to do, no doubt with the help of her mentor, the fierce Nona Amatore. Dania is not outwardly exhibiting any symptoms of the Q-serum, but her gaze seems to linger on District ten's Miya Bellion._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Luna Pentti, LP0440. Luna and Dania are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They do not have any feelings besides curt cooperation, though they clearly don't trust each other._

 _Ester Perliam, EP0840. Ester and Dania are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Dania was not fully convinced Ester had anything to offer, but seemed to stand back so as to not create conflict._

 _Attila of the Windy Plains, AP1030. Attila and Dania are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They do not have any feelings besides curt cooperation. Dania obviously has trouble trusting him._

 _Miya Bellion, MB1040. Miya and Dania are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Of the other Careers, Miya is the one Dania seems to like and trust the most. It will be interesting to see if the Q-serum affects their relationship._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: FOR THE LOVE OF SNOW PICCOLO DO NOT MENTION HER HEIGHT. She has proven to be much more than the short girl. Bringing out her dynamic personality and her obvious determined ferocity is the angle she'll want to take, so it's best to run with it._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: FOR THE LOVE OF SNOW VIOLA DO NOT MENTION HER HEIGHT. Showing her determined side and reminding everyone that she is the number one volunteer for her District is the best way to go. It's important to keep her from being reduced to "the short girl."_

 _ODDS: 5-1_

 _NOTES: As long as she keeps her head in the game and stays rational, she can definitely take down even the strongest, tallest competitor. She's pretty brave, refusing to be underestimated, but that's respectful and a good sign of a worthy Victor._

* * *

 _BECQUEREL PIERRE, 18, DISTRICT 3_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: BP0330_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Becquerel began his Private session with a small knife, demonstrating a knowledge of critical stabbing areas on a stationary dummy. After, he called out a trainer to demonstrate skills in close-combat. Becquerel fought the trainer once, showing a strong defense until the trainer had tired herself out, when he was easily able to subdue her. He put on quite the barbaric show, mentioning a desire to "add some raw gore and depth to these Games!"_

 _STRATEGY: Becquerel is aromantic and asexual, and does not intend on acting like he isn't. This honesty is brave, but could be his doom in a Quarter Quell that Is all about love. He is allying with District Five's Dyna Hoalburn, who has a boyfriend they are staying loyal to. These two are very brave and will no doubt be shipped together by people even though it is impossible. Becquerel showed that he was not afraid to talk some tributes down to get the ally he wanted, and obviously plays a strong mental game even if he and Dyna will remain friends._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Dyna Hoalburn, DH0550. Becquerel and Dyna are allies and appear to have spectacular chemistry. Crowds may want them to be in a romantic relationship, but this is impossible and neither seems intent on acting. However, they balance each other out and will be a very strong team._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Becquerel is a theatrical person that has a strong angle going for him. He is a strong fighter that was shaped by time on the streets, and he is a volunteer. Asking about the boy he volunteered will give him the opportunity to tell as much of his story as he wants. He could be a troublemaker, though, so be aware of what you're asking him._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: He is one of two outer-District volunteers. He is also unique in that he can appeal to the audience of transgender people. Though he shouldn't be labeled by this, a mention every now and again reminds trans Capitolites that they can have a good role model in him._

 _ODDS: 17-1_

 _NOTES: If the crowds get behind him more than they do some of the couples, Becquerel has a great chance to get home. Hopefully he can deliver on his large promises, though._

* * *

 _KAELYS DEINARD, 18, DISTRICT 3_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: KD0340_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: In her private session, Kaelys demonstrated skills learned with knives. She began by throwing at a stationary dummy, hitting the dummy non-lethally twice, the outer rim four times, the inner ring three times and the bull's eye once. In the holographic simulation on the Intermediate Level, she struck down all ten holograms lethally, but sustained numerous injuries. She called out a trainer and showed her close-combat knife skills by winning all three battles she called. Her fighting style is far from refined, but effective._

 _STRATEGY: Kaelys spent training putting together an alliance that she clearly intends to leave. It is obvious that she will do whatever it takes to win, and has stayed fairly distant emotionally from most tributes. She has vision and will do whatever she can to make it happen. She spent some time with Ashlyn Bayard of District Twelve and seemed slightly upset that she didn't join the big group._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Jasper Pearce, JP0930. Part of Kaelys's alliance. No feelings more than curt cooperation._

 _June Fisher, JF0940. Part of Kaelys's alliance. No feelings more than curt cooperation._

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Looking to join Kaelys's alliance. She will likely let him in as she seems to be attempting to make as big a group as she can. No feelings more than cooperation._

 _Ashlyn Bayard, AB1240. Pursued by Kaelys, but ultimately rejected her offer for an alliance. Kaelys seemed to enjoy her presence, possibly an effect of the Q-Serum. It will be interesting to see if these two interact any more before their time in the Games. There is a possibility they will end up allying together, but it is looking rather slim._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Kaelys appears to be a wildcard. Depending on her mood, she could give different interviews. Good luck to you, just go with the flow. Ask about Ashlyn, but don't push it too much._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Kaelys looks cute and dainty, but is certainly not. Destroying that assumption is the most important thing to getting her sponsors._

 _ODDS: 36-1_

 _NOTES: Kaelys is an orphan that is known to hang around a bad group of people. To be able to win she must prove some degree of loyalty to the Capitol._

* * *

 _NERIO THAMES, 17, DISTRICT 4_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: NT0430_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Nerio's Private Session was very strong. First he demonstrated his skill with tridents, quickly and lethally spearing dummies with District Four's traditional weapon. He took the trident into the holographic simulation on the Advanced Level, where he killed all ten holograms quickly and sustained no injuries. He then showed some spear skills, hitting the outer rim of the target two times, the inner rim six times, and the bull's eye twice. He then showed off his agility, completing the Advanced Level with a time of 6:19.29, a time in the tenth percentile._

 _STRATEGY: Nerio has one of the smartest strategies in the Games. The crowd is already paying attention to an otherwise average Career because of his flirting with Joule and Chancellor. Though he and Chancellor are agreed partners and acting in a relationship, Nerio has Joule pretty close as well. Nerio is playing the heartbreaking charmer, and the crowd loves the drama, even if much of it is staged. If he plays his cards right, he could end up on top after all._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Chancellor Magnusun, CM0130. He and Chancellor are agreed allies, though at the moment they are both just acting. Much of their drama is staged, but the crowd is loving them. They are one of the favorite pairs so far and will remain a strong favorite._

 _Joule Barode, JB0530. Nerio has been stringing Joule along, and it is obvious that Joule is not acting. This extra drama is going to go over well with the crowds, but if Joule can come to his senses he could avoid the drama._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Ask for all the details. Press into him. It is all an act, so he'll likely be very open with every detail, real or made up. However, he may end up spinning a web of lies that is too easily broken, so stop him before it gets too far._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Though he's young, he's fiery and determined. He's a charmer that is playing the role of the heartbreaker, which makes him seem desired and can be a good focus for announcing._

 _ODDS: 10-1_

 _NOTES: Seeing him warm up over his time here has been a pleasure. He has a strong chance at Victory if he keeps his feelings an act._

* * *

 _LUNA PENTTI, 18, DISTRICT 4_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: LP0440_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Luna's session was, like Dania's, short and sweet. She entered the room and began at the sword station. She stabbed multiple stationary dummies before challenging the Holograph Simulation on the advanced level, where she quickly and cleanly killed all ten holographs and sustained no injuries. She then went to the throwing knives station, where she hit the outer rim of the target three times, the inner rim five times and the bull's eye twice._

 _STRATEGY: Luna is a traditional Career, and didn't seem too thrilled when Acacia and Wicke left, even less happy when Nerio and Chance left. She has proven that she will do whatever it takes to win. She is cunning and curt, obviously not going to take well to the twist. She seems to be pretty headstrong and steps into the leading position of the Career alliance. She will make the decisions and the alliance will ultimately succeed or fail on her. She knows what to do and will not hesitate to backstab whoever she has to. However, she hasn't shown any signs yet of being affected by the Q-serum, which may cause the crowd to become bored with her in the Games._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Dania Lidano, DL0240. Dania and Luna are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Out of all her allies, Luna seems to respect her the most, but it is unlikely they'll be anything but curt allies._

 _Ester Perliam, EP0840. Ester is allying with Luna and the rest of the Careers. Luna was the last to agree to allow Ester into the alliance, and is still not totally convinced that the girl from District Eight belongs there._

 _Attila of the Windy Plains, AP1030. Attila and Luna are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Some of the Capitolites have expressed hope that he and Luna will get together. It will be interesting to see if the Q-serum has an effect on either of them._

 _Miya Bellion, MB1040. Miya and Luna are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They don't seem to have any feelings other than curt cooperation._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: She hasn't demonstrated a particular strategy, but she obviously knows the Games enough that she must have something in mind. She's a leader, so if you ask a couple basic questions to start, then you can play along with whatever she's going to do. Getting personality out of her will be an interesting challenge for you._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: She seems to be a patriot even if she's cold towards her fellow tributes. Showing her as a strong fierce warrior will send her sponsors, and also demonstrating the mystery of her as a person will make them interested._

 _ODDS: 6-1_

 _NOTES: She will either triumph unlike any other or experience quite the fall from grace. It's up to fate from here._

* * *

 _JOULE BARODE, 18, DISTRICT 5_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: JB0530_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Joule began with the throwing knives. Of the knives, one missed the dummy, two hit the dummy non-lethally, five hit the outer rim, and two hit the inner rim. In the simulation on the Intermediate Mode, Joule killed six dummies and injured three, allowing one to run away. He sustained multiple minor injuries. After that he demonstrated the ability to find food in different kinds of Arenas and built a passable shelter from limited materials._

 _STRATEGY: Joule's strategy appears the same as other outer-District tributes in years that aren't Quells. He has been looking for a reliable ally, most likely the boy from District Six, Rigley Fidler. He has also focused heavily on survival, less than the weapons. He has proven to be willing to cheat on his fiancé back home, Rilah Kimmell. He seems to be enamored by District Four's Nerio Thames, but will probably not end up allying with Nerio and his ally, Chancellor Magnusun of District One._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Nerio Thames, NT0430. Nerio has been leading Joule on by his charms. Joule seems more sexually attracted to Nerio than romantically, but something may come of this, creating drama between Nerio and Chancellor. However, this also may make him a target. There is a following for Nerio and Joule as a pair, but it is much smaller than that for Nerio and Chancellor so Joule will probably get the short end of the stick._

 _Rigley Fidler, RF0630. The boys have complementary skillsets that may even each other out through their time in the Arena. It is possible that Rigley could charm Joule, if he plays his cards right. Either way it will be interesting to see if the Q-serum affects the dynamic between these two._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Tread lightly on the subject of his fiancé. He may not want people to know that she exists. He may be pretty conflicted so take it easy with the complicated questions and follow his lead._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: He is currently defined by his role in the drama and his relationships with other tributes. It is important to separate him from the other tributes and their pairs._

 _ODDS: 45-1_

 _NOTES: He needs to decide on an angle and commit to it, which he hasn't seemed to have done yet. Time is running out for him to get it together, though._

 _DYNA HOALBURN, 18, DISTRICT 5_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: DH0550_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Dyna began their Session at the Agility Course. They got through the course on the Intermediate Level with a time of 5:21.42, a time in the twenty-fifth percentile. Without pausing, Dyna went to the hand-to-hand combat station, where they challenged a trainer, winning three out of their five selected battles._

 _STRATEGY: Dyna talked to some tributes, but is ultimately choosing to remain loyal to their boyfriend back home, Owen Zeller. They are allying with Becquerel Pierre of District Five, a person who is quite similar to them in personality. Because Becquerel is aromantic and asexual, their alliance will remain platonic through the course of the Games. They talked to multiple other tributes, but their alliance with Becquerel remains a two-person entity. They worked hard for agility and weapons in an attempt to even Becquerel out._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Becquerel Pierre, BP0330. Dyna and Becquerel are allies and appear to have spectacular chemistry. Though the crowds will most likely try to ship them, a genuine romantic relationship is not possible between them. However, they are balanced and seem to work well together, so they are not to be counted out._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Asking Dyna about their boyfriend is a must. The Capitolites will want their Victor to know what it is like to be in love, so as much detail about him as possible, as if he were there with the other tributes would be best. Let their natural personality shine so the crowd will remember them._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Highlighting their unique personality will do well for them. Also, talking about their relationship with Owen, which can happen if they win the Games, will win the crowds._

 _ODDS: 24-1_

 _NOTES: Staying loyal to a loved one back home is a brave choice, but shows a real bond. I wish Dyna the very best._

* * *

 _RIGLEY FIDLER, 18, DISTRICT 6_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: RF0630_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Rigley's session began with him at the swords station. He showed that he understood lethal stabbing points before engaging the Holograph Simulation at the Intermediate Level. There, he was injured by the holographs that used long-distance weapons, but successfully took down close-distance fights. He was shot lethally by a holograph's arrow after nine victories. After that, he went to survival stations, ego slightly bruised it seemed. He climbed the mountain wall efficiently without slipping, finishing with a time of 3:48.14, which is in the fortieth percentile. He demonstrated the ability to make a simple knot at the traps station, which successfully caught a small, fake animal._

 _STRATEGY: Rigley has talked to other tributes, but not nearly as much as the others. He has been very focused on his training. However, many of the Capitolites have begun to ship Rigley with his mentor, Gian Mariani. There is a lot of footage of Rigley flirting, but it seems to be unreciprocated. Rigley is persistent, though, not giving up quite yet. He has talked briefly with Joule Barode of District Five, who may end up allying with him if the situation is right. He is a charmer but has not aimed for other tributes, just his mentor._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Joule Barode, JB0530. The two boys are fairly different, but they may compliment each other well enough to be a force to be reckoned with. It is unknown if feelings will be developed between them or even if they will ally together._

 _Gian Mariani, GM0628. Gian is Rigley's mentor, who he seems to be flirting with relentlessly. It is unknown whether or not this will develop into anything before Rigley goes into the Games, but currently it seems unlikely._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Let his charmer come out. Try to coax him to talk about other tributes, but a question or two about Gian is unavoidable. He may be another wildcard so playing it by ear is best._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Riggs is an attractive guy and surely a lot of hearts will be won by him, even if he doesn't try. Playing up his charming nature will only help him with sponsors. Monitoring this relationship with Gian is also advisable._

 _ODDS: 31-1_

 _NOTES: Rigley seems to be a bit impulsive and flighty, which could hurt him in the Games. Hopefully he allies with Joule, who is more down-to-earth, and Rigley's courage rubs off on him so they balance each other out._

* * *

 _DESIREE MENGHIASI, 15, DISTRICT 6_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: DM0640_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Desiree, though she spent time with weapons during Training, did not touch them in her private session. Upon entering the room, she stripped off some of her clothes and began to paint camouflage. She spent an amazing amount of time doing a full-body camouflage. When she was done, she blended in with a grassy area. Upon closer examination, however, as pointed out to me by my associate Mx. Joost Bishop, her camouflage depicted a scene from the previous year's Hunger Games, in which Capitol-designed mutts ambushed Prentice Tholberg and his two allies, the Six girl and the Ten boy. The girl from Six died in the attack._

 _STRATEGY: Desiree has a strong friendship with Persei Holloway of District Seven. It will be interesting to see if Desiree remains loyal to her girlfriend back home, Aimee Santos. The girls work well together and have been communicating throughout training, even if they haven't talked. They seem to have their system. Desiree worked with lightweight weapons during training, but her Private session creates some mystery as to her strategy. Some Peacekeepers have affirmed that she has been seen painting graffiti around the District, which brings questions to her loyalty to the Capitol._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Persei Holloway, PH0740. Persei and Desiree are allying together and seem to be close friends. The possibility of a one-way crush does exist, but does not seem to be reality at the moment. Though the Capitol seems to ship these two, the only way for a genuine relationship is very unlikely._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Avoid asking about her street-art. Focus on some back-home questions. If she doesn't mention her girlfriend, it may be strategic, so don't push it. Let her express herself, as she seems to be a very creative spirit._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: She is a tough girl though she's young, and has proven to be strong as well as vibrant. Highlighting her strength will get sponsors behind her._

 _ODDS: 28-1_

 _NOTES: Having a criminal for a Victor is not what we here at the Capitol want. If she wants to win she will have to clean up her act and learn to use her creativity in legal ways._

* * *

 _SYCA GALLEN, 15, DISTRICT 7_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: SG0730_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Syca demonstrated an impressive ability to kill using an axe. He was not as ferocious as District Two's Dania Lidano, but he proved that he knew where to strike in order to kill. He completed the Easy Holographic Simulation taking down all ten dummies but sustaining a few critical injuries from the long-distance weapons. He also climbed the climbing wall, completing with a time of 2:38.07, a time in the fifteenth percentile._

 _STRATEGY: Syca spent much of training focused on his District partner, Persei Holloway. It seems that he is quite fond of her, probably an effect of the Q-serum. However, she does not seem intent on allying with him. Luckily, Syca has a friendship with Daria Junius of District Eleven, who will most likely offer to ally with him. He obviously has the potential to make some kills and lay low to get the title, if he can sort out his emotions in time. He has a fairly strong physical game, but no mental strategy._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Persei Holloway, PH0740. Syca has strong feelings for his District partner and wants to be near her whenever possible. The feeling is not returned, however, as she is allying with Desiree Menghiasi of District Six and doesn't seem to want to ally with him._

 _Daria Junius, DJ1140. Daria and Syca have become friends, being the "outcasts" of the fifteens, and are likely to ally together. Perhaps if Syca spends time with her, the Q-serum will have some effect on their relationship. Even if it does not, the crowds may get behind them and they could act._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Syca seems very family-oriented, so ask him for sure about his family, using them as a source of determination and drive for him. Ask about Persei, as the crowds will want to know, but don't overkill it and humiliate him. Stay optimistic about his teamwork with Daria._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Syca is an unlikely fighter, but he is from Seven and has experience with an axe. This tribute, considering he is the youngest and his reaping, he will be the easiest to underestimate. Don't let that happen._

 _ODDS: 49-1_

 _NOTES: He needs to get his emotions under control, which is quite hard for a fifteen-year-old to do. It will be interesting to see if he is motivated by revenge in the Games._

 _PERSEI HOLLOWAY, 15, DISTRICT 7_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: PH0740_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Persei's private session was quick but effective. First, she tackled the climbing wall, with a time of 2:40.37, a time in the fifteenth percentile. She then demonstrated skills with axes against stationary dummies. She was more intentional with the axes than Syca, and did some serious damage to the dummies. She took on the Intermediate Holographic Simulation test, for which she struck four dummies lethally, three mortally, injured two, and let one escape. She sustained multiple injuries that may have slowed her down in a real Arena setting._

 _STRATEGY: Persei is very focused on the Games, completely throwing off the Quell twist. She is obviously more than cunning and ready to do whatever it takes to win. However, the Capitol got to see a new, younger, gentler side of her in her curiosity and her games with Oleander Kirk of District Eleven. She is very focused and has a lot of power to her, and is not going to be anything other than her true, honest self._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Desiree Menghiasi, DM0640. Desiree and Persei are going to ally together and seem to be good friends with good chemistry. These two know how to communicate and function on a very similar wavelength. They'll definitely be a dream team in the Games, but Persei's unwillingness to act may hurt them._

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Oleander and Persei seem to have a budding friendship. The Capitol likes them as a pair, though they likely will not be allying together in the Games and may never interact. He seems to bring out a different side of her that the crowds adore, though._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Try to coax out the gentler side of her in the interview, but don't push it. If she gets annoyed she will shut down. Keep it simple and do the best you can to paint a good picture of her._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Persei is cute, but she is much more than a cute little girl. She may have not had the best reaping, but that doesn't mean she won't fight. Show her for who she really is, don't allow her to be stereotyped as the adorable Little Red._

 _ODDS: 24-1_

 _NOTES: She could have a shot at this if she plays her cards right. However, there are many places in which she could fail, so she should tread lightly and use Desiree all she can._

* * *

 _SEMPER CELANDINE, 15, DISTRICT 8_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: SC0830_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Semper's private session began at the camouflage station. He demonstrated the ability to make his legs look like rock using clay and mud among other materials. After, and without washing his legs, he went to the close-combat station, armed with a knife. He was successful at subduing a moving hologram at the easy level. Finally, he did the agility course with a time of 5:36.01 at the Intermediate Level, a time at the thirtieth percentile._

 _STRATEGY: Semper does not seem to be planning much strategy. He is very withdrawn and, though he's interacted with the other fifteen-year-olds, doesn't seem to have particularly strong friendships with any of them. He has one ally, Ashlyn Bayard of District Twelve. He doesn't have a solid strategy but seems like he could play it by ear._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Ashlyn Bayard, AB1240. Semper and Ashlyn are going to ally together in the Arena. They have no potential for a romantic relationship as Ashyln is homoromantic and homosexual. However, they obviously understand each other as they've both experienced tragedy. A cold alliance will be better for both players' mental health, but not for the crowds, who will be expecting drama._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Semper is very withdrawn and quiet, showing signs of schizophrenia for his family, all of whom were killed in a fire except for one sister. He will probably not be very open and need easy questions initially, to see if he'll warm up._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: He is quiet and easy to underestimate, so bringing out as many good qualities as you can find would be the most advisable._

 _ODDS: 53-1_

 _NOTES: I don't see him surviving much on his own, but he may be able to lay low and quietly bring a Victory home. I believe it all depends on his relationship with the other tributes._

* * *

 _ESTER PERLIAM, 16, DISTRICT 8_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: EP0840_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Ester's Private Session was average at best. She picked up some throwing knives and threw at the stationary dummies. Three of her knives hit non-lethally, two hit the outer rim, four hit the inner rim and one hit the bull's eye. Then, in close-up knife combat, she showed knowledge of the most critical spots to hit, successfully striking down all five holograms that charged her._

 _STRATEGY: Though Ester's Private Session was barely average, her skills shine in the method of manipulation. The girl from District Eight has successfully entered the Career alliance after four of its members split off. She knew to target the most malleable first, Attila from District Ten, and working her way in from there. She demonstrated her people skills and now has a strong alliance to back her up as she approached the Games._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Dania Lidano, DL0240. Dania and Ester are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They don't seem to have any feelings other than curt cooperation._

 _Luna Pentti, LP0440. Luna was the last to be convinced for Ester to join the Careers. She still doesn't fully trust Ester and will probably be the first to blame her for a bad situation._

 _Attila of the Windy Plains, AP1030. The boy from District 10 is the easiest of the remaining Careers to figure out, and soon she was able to use his instinctive nature to enter the alliance. These two are an unlikely pair of friends because they are so different, but opposites attract. Perhaps the Q-serum will affect one or both of them to cause some drama._

 _Miya Bellion, MB1040. Miya and Ester are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Miya was quick to agree for Ester to join the alliance, most likely knowing that if Ester is the weakest link, she won't be._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Ester knows exactly what angle she wants to pull, so letting her lead will be the easiest way to tackle this. She is going to be the center of a lot of questions, being the only untrained tribute in the Career alliance, but she will be able to use the attention to her advantage._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: She is charming and manipulative, which the crowds will love. She is cunning and will do whatever she can to get what she wants. Showing her intelligent, strategic side will bring in her sponsors for sure._

 _ODDS: 21-1_

 _NOTES: Ester may be the balance of mental and physical strength we need to win these Games, however she could also be used as a scapegoat for the Careers if things get tough. It will be interesting to see if she can charm Attila and use him to her advantage._

* * *

 _JASPER PEARCE, 18, DISTRICT 9_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: JP0930_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Jasper entered the Training Center seeming quite confident. He began by demonstrating survival skills. He passed the edible bugs test with a score of 71% on the Easy Level before demonstrating the ability to make a fire. During his test, he made numerous mistakes, but displayed an extremely positive attitude, making jokes to lighten the mood. He tried to initiate conversation with the Gamemakers during his session. He gave a big show of heading over to the bows and arrows, a weapon he had not previously practiced with, quite obviously._

 _STRATEGY: Jasper is playing a game of personality above a game of skill. He is obviously bounds ahead of many tributes in terms of social skills and likability. He enjoys his time in the spotlight and is trying to make friendships with as many tributes as possible. He and his District partner Juniper are playing the angle of exes being brought together by the Games, and stressing District Nine Teamwork._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Kaelys Deinard. KD0340. Jasper and Kaelys are going to be allying together. They do not appear to have any special relationship other than a curt alliance._

 _Juniper Fisher, JF0940. Juniper and Jasper are romantically involved after being reaped together. They dated for three years before the Games, according to his mentor Prentice. The break-up was reportedly messy._

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Oleander has not been confirmed a part of the alliance between the District Nine tributes and Kaelys, but it is very likely he will eventually travel with them in the Games._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: This is a tribute that is already a star. He will be very open to the crowd and will probably have a lot to say. I anticipate him being very comfortable making small-talk with you, and I'm sure he will have plenty to say about his relationship with June. Highlighting the District teamwork and loyalty, as well as bringing out his inner stardom to get the crowds behind him is the way to give him the best chance possible. Avoid discussing his break-up with June in great detail. He's a big jokester, so mess around with him, make the crowd laugh._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Jasper can play the loyal patriot when shown in the right light. He is an aspiring teacher that likes kids and has a very bright, theatrical personality. He is a show-stopper that will love the attention._

 _ODDS: 30-1_

 _NOTES: Though Jasper is going to be a crowd-favorite, he obviously does not take this as seriously as he possibly should. Eating a poisonous insect in reality is not nearly as pretty as cracking a joke. If he fails to take the Games seriously enough, I'm afraid it will have dire consequences. Hopefully Juniper will give him a sense of urgency that it takes to win._

* * *

 _JUNIPER FISHER, 18, DISTRICT 9_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: JF0940_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Juniper began at the plant-identification station. She passed the test with a score of 69% at the Intermediate Level (she and a few of my crew members snickered at this fact). After that she spent time at the archery station, including extra Training time. She proved to be miles better than her District partner, seeing as she spent time practicing at the station. She began with the stationary dummies, for which she hit the outer rim five times, the inner ring twice, missed the dummy twice, and hit the dummy on a non-target once. Then she tried the virtual reality with moving targets, for which she hit six out of the ten holograms, two of them mortally. However, she dodged the attacks the holograms threw at her impressively._

 _STRATEGY: Juniper is obviously extremely daring and fearless. However, being around Jasper makes her into a much quieter person. She is the weaker actor of the two, but the Capitol is buying it anyways. She is also allying in a group, and playing the loyal patriot angle with Jasper._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Kaelys Deinard. KD0340. Juniper and Kaelys are going to be allying together. They do not appear to have any special relationship other than a curt alliance._

 _Jasper Pearce, JP0930. Jasper and Juniper are romantically involved after being reaped together. They dated for three years before the Games with a messy break-up. It appears to have affected June much more negatively than Jasper._

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Oleander has not been confirmed a part of the alliance between the District Nine tributes and Kaelys, but it is very likely he will eventually travel with them in the Games._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: June might take a while to get out of her shell. It appears at this point that she will shut down if asked about her break-up with Jasper. She will be a good precursor to Jasper and will probably talk him up, but it will be important to draw her out of herself because ultimately, only one can win. The challenge is separating June from Jasper, because the crowd will tend to group them together._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Focus on her courageous and daring nature. Separating her from Jasper as best as you can would be advisable. She is a fighter that will be some good brawn in the Arena, in an unlikely little body._

 _ODDS: 22-1_

 _NOTES: Juniper has a strong skillset, but her personality hasn't quite come out yet. It will be important for her to act well and turn up the charm if she wants to emerge victorious._

* * *

 _ATTILA OF THE WINDY PLAINS, 18, DISTRICT 10_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: AP1030_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Attila's Private Session was a show of pure strength. He demonstrated his skill with a glaive, a weapon that represents a spear with a blade end instead of a point. He demonstrated the most lethal spots to hit on the stationary dummies before taking his skill to the holograph simulation on the Advanced Level. There he took down all ten holographs, only sustaining one minor injury. He took a break to lift some weights, demonstrating his immense strength thanks to yearas of hard work and backwoods training. After that he demonstrated his skills at hand-to-hand combat, disarming and defeating the trainer in each of the six battles he called for._

 _STRATEGY: Attila has absolutely no strategy, it seems. He seems to be playing everything by ear, which could be both good and bad._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Dania Lidano, DL0240. Dania and Attila are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They don't seem to have any feelings other than curt cooperation._

 _Luna Pentti, LP0440. Luna and Attila are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They don't seem to have any feelings other than curt cooperation._

 _Ester Perliam, EP0840. Ester is allying with Attila after manipulating him into convincing the others to let her in. She seems to know exactly how to play him, which could make for some drama._

 _Miya Bellion, MB1040. Miya and Attila are District partners, also allying together with the rest of the Careers. They don't seem to have any feelings other than curt cooperation. He seems to have no preference towards her even though they're District partners, which is unusual._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: He will play the strong intimidating angle, but like Chancellor it will be important to try and get some personality out of him. Everyone is surely wondering his feelings towards his allies and if he will develop romantic feelings towards any of them._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: He is a volunteer that is trying to bring glory to his District, extremely uncommon for outer Districts. Milk this for all it's worth, painting him as the strong patriot that loves his District, the Games, the Capitol, and all of Panem._

 _ODDS: 7-1_

 _NOTES: Though he is strong, he doesn't think. This will ultimately save him or destroy him in the Games._

* * *

 _MIYA BELLION, 18, DISTRICT 10_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: MB1040_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Miya's Private Session was almost as impressive as Attila's. She put on quite the show with her weapons, acting like a barbaric Career. She began with swords. She destroyed two stationary dummies. She stabbed the first one in multiple lethal areas before using her blade to cut the arms off the other one before decapitating it. She then took throwing knives to the Holographic Simulator, where she killed all ten holographs on the Intermediate Level without sustaining any injuries. She demonstrated some spear-throwing as well, hitting the dummy non-lethally four times, hitting the outer rim four times, and the inner rim twice._

 _STRATEGY: Miya has fallen in line with the fractured Career alliance and was quick to vouch for Ester. This is probably because now Ester is the weakest link as she was reaped and un-trained. Miya, other than that, has stayed fairly quiet, keeping much of her skillset hushed to the others. She currently does not seem intent on cheating on her boyfriend back home, Liam Densch. She intends on laying low and taking own the weak before escaping the Careers, who she doesn't trust._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Dania Lidano, DL0240. Dania and Miya are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They have had some conversation beyond the others, and seem the be friends more than the others. It will be interesting to see if the Q-serum affects their relationship._

 _Luna Pentti, LP0440. Luna and Miya are allying together with the rest of the Careers. They do not have any feelings besides curt cooperation._

 _Ester Perliam, EP0840. Ester and Miya are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Miya and Ester seem to be on fairly good terms and may stick together, considering they were both reaped tributes._

 _Attila of the Windy Plains, AP1030. Attila and Miya are allying together with the rest of the Careers. Even though they are District partners, they do not seem to be loyal to each other, remaining not much more than curt allies._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Miya may have been reaped, but she's strong. Don't outright ask about her boyfriend as it is possible she won't mention him in the interest of gaining sponsors. Stay positive and let her show her natural energy and optimism. Mentioning her training may help her in terms of sponsors._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Giving her a very mysterious air, as well as hinting that she may be more than she puts out will make the crowds want to see more of her. Plus, she seems to be determined and bubbly, which will earn her admirers._

 _ODDS: 32-1_

 _NOTES: The sponsors reaction to her is unpredictable, they could love her or they could hate her. Either way, this one is not giving up without a fight._

* * *

 _OLEANDER KIRK, 17, DISTRICT 11_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: OK1130_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Oleander seemed quite nervous at the start of his session. He began by taking the edible plants test, which he passed with a remarkable 98% on the Advanced difficulty level. This feat seemed to comfort him, as he seemed more relaxed as he demonstrated some skills with a scythe. He spent much of his Training time talking to other tributes and trained after-hours late into the first night._

 _STRATEGY: Oleander's strategy appears similar to Jasper's. However, it is different in the fact that Oleander is quieter and more thoughtful than Jasper. He was obviously determined to prove himself after his reaping. He will appeal to the crowd as an attractive young man and seems to gravitate towards a bigger group. He talked to many other tributes, trying to make as many friends as possible. However, he also spent time with Persei Holloway of District Seven, which may or may not be strategic._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Kaelys Deinard. KD0340. Oleander may join the alliance consisting of Kaelys and the tributes from District Nine._

 _Persei Holloway, PH0740. Oleander and Persei spent the night previous playing games together and are now shipped by the Capitol. They may meet up later on in the Games. For now, they just seem to be friends, if that, but the crowds putting pressure on them may change their dynamic._

 _Juniper Fisher, JF0940. Oleander may join the alliance consisting of Juniper, Jasper, and Kaelys._

 _Jasper Pearce, JP0930. Oleander may join the alliance consisting of Jasper, Juniper, and Kaelys._

 _Daria Junius, DJ1140. Oleander seems to be friends with his District partner, as they talk often and have had some good laughs together. Nothing seems to be more than platonic._

 _Jacques Noir, JN1230. Jacques talked to Oleander and since then he seems to be intent on allying with Oleander. No official alliances have been committed to, however._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Oleander will no doubt be nervous, but his steadfast, determined nature will be appreciated by the crowds. Getting him out of his shell with some easy questions can lead to some more complex questions, which he will eventually warm up to answering._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Oleander is a skilled craftsman whose cute charm will continue to win over the crowds. The crowd is currently oriented towards Oleander and Persei being together, but he has plenty of potential for other pairings so keep an open mind._

 _ODDS: 35-1_

 _NOTES: Oleander has to remain open. If he plays his cards right and makes the right relationships, he could win this thing yet. I wouldn't count him out._

* * *

 _DARIA JUNIUS, 15, DISTRICT 11_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: DJ1140_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Daria began her private session with a crossbow. She didn't look totally comfortable with the weapon. On the stationary dummy, she missed the dummy thrice, hit the dummy non-lethally twice, hit the outer rim four times and the bull's eye once. She completed the Intermediate Level of the holograph simulation, hitting three holograms lethally, three non-lethally and missed four times. She was injured multiple times in the simulation but never lethally. She took on a trainer at the hand-to-hand station, and won one out of three long, grueling fights. She listed off an impressive amount of strategic Games trivia._

 _STRATEGY: Daria knows the Hunger Games, that much is apparent. She is definitely playing up the hometown girl card, which the Capitol loves. She has talked to many of the other tributes, but many of them seem put-off by her. She knows what to do, but the actual execution is what matters. She has the personality but her physical skills may not be enough. However, the sponsoring money will certainly be pouring in for her._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Desiree Menghiasi, DM0640. Desiree obviously has no intention of allying with Daria, but the girl from Eleven continues to keep a close eye on her. Daria seems to have a strong desire to be friends with Desiree, who isn't giving her much of a second glance. She has hinted at being a strong ally, but Desiree hasn't bought it. It could possibly be the effects of the Q-serum, or a compulsive need to fit in._

 _Syca Gallen, SG0730. Daria and Syca are the outcast fifteen-year-olds, and because of have stuck together through their time training. They have a lot of potential to be a well-liked couple, but it is questionable whether or not it will happen because Syca is interested in his District partner._

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Daria and her District partner seem to be pretty close, but do not seem like they will ally together in the Games. However, it is doubtful that either would be able to kill the other._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: She is a Capitolite at heart, so playing that up is all she needs. Asking her Games trivia will put the crowd behind her, as she's very knowledgeable. Showing her bubbly attitude and her expansive knowledge of the Games to her advantage will help her get more sponsors._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Try to present her as more than just the Capitolite. That much is obvious, but there is more to her and by showing that she will get even more sponsors._

 _ODDS: 41-1_

 _NOTES: As much as the Capitolites will want her to win, she does not have the physical ability of many of the other tributes. She will have to play a very smart, strategic game if she wants to win._

* * *

 _JACQUES NOIR, 18, DISTRICT 12_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: JN1230_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Jacques began his Private Session with the weapon he seemed to prefer, spears. He hit the dummy non-lethally four times, the outer rim three times, and the inner rim three times. He also used spears in the Holographic Simulation on the Easy level, killing the ten dummies without sustaining any injuries. He then threw knives, missing the dummy twice, hitting non-lethally five times and hitting the outer rim of the target three times. He also shot a bow an arrow, for which three arrows missed, six hit non-lethally and one hit the inner circle. He demonstrated elementary ability with a mace, effectively destroying a stationary dummy._

 _STRATEGY: Jacques is a mystery. He seems to be shadowing Oleander Kirk of District Eleven, but has not made official alliances with anyone. He spent a fair amount of time talking to other tributes and seemed fairly open about being in whatever alliance he was offered. Perhaps he is trying to remain quiet and stay low so he can sneak a Victory._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Oleander Kirk, OK1130. Jacques talked to Oleander and since then he seems to be intent on allying with him. No official alliances have been committed to, however, by either party._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: Roll with whatever angle he plays. He is a wildcard at this point as he is somewhat hard to read. Keeping some mystery to him will keep people interested, even if he is incredibly dull compared to his much more vibrant District partner, Ashlyn Bayard._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: Keeping the mystery will do him well. He also seems to be pretty genuine, honest, and hard-working, so it would be easy to paint him as a hard-working patriot._

 _ODDS: 58-1_

 _NOTES: He seems fairly complacent and perhaps should have, in the words of my colleague Mr. Boniface Montford, "whole-assed one thing instead of half-assing lots of things." He could pull this off, however he is currently fading into the background and being overshadowed by many of the other tributes._

* * *

 _ASHLYN BAYARD, 18, DISTRICT 12_

 _IDENTIFICATION CODE: AB1240_

 _SKILLS SHOWN/COMMENTARY: Ashlyn's Private Session was nothing at all like expected. The girl who had been training so skillfully did not have a fruitful session at all. She began with a sword, stabbing it randomly and half-heartedly into the dummy before putting it down and making a very simple trap. It successfully caught the fake animal, but didn't hold very well. She promptly left afterwards._

 _STRATEGY: Ashlyn's Private Session raises many questions about her strategy. She seemed quite determined to survive, but by her showing that doesn't seem to be the case. She seems emotionally unstable, probably due to the death of her twin when she was fifteen, probably the cause of the scars on her face. She interacted briefly with Kaelys Deinard of District Three but did not agree to ally with her big group. Instead she found one ally very similar to her, Semper Celandine of District Eight. Her strategy is hard to place, only time will tell._

 _SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS:_

 _Kaelys Deinard, KD0340. Kaelys pursued Ashlyn, but the Twelve girl ultimately rejected her offer for an alliance. Ashlyn seemed to enjoy her time with Kaelys, though, and seemed more docile around her, possibly an effect of the Q-Serum. It will be interesting to see if these two interact any more before their time in the Games. There is a possibility they will end up allying together, but it is looking rather slim._

 _Semper Celandine, SC0830. Ashlyn and Semper are going to ally together in the Arena. They have no potential for a romantic relationship as Ashyln is homoromantic and homosexual. However, they obviously understand each other as they've both experienced tragedy. A cold alliance will be better for both players' mental health, but not for the crowds, who will be expecting drama._

 _INTERVIEW ADVICE: This one is a wildcard for sure. She seems to be a firecracker, so don't push her too far. Tread lightly on the subject of the dog attack that killed her brother. Try to keep it as light as possible, if you can, asking about Kaelys and Semper and such. Good luck._

 _ANNOUNCING ADVICE: She is obviously a warrior that is very strong. Bringing out the strong side of her will get her sponsors, especially with her scars. District 12 rarely has tributes like her, so make sure the crowd knows how unique and special she is._

 _ODDS: 31-1_

 _NOTES: Her explosive personality can't be contained forever. If she doesn't find a healthy way to cope with her problems quickly, she absolutely doesn't stand a chance._

 _For more descriptive information, consult the attached files._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: 12000 WORDS?! WHAT THE FUCK!? I'm so sorry! But not really, haha. This is one of those chapters where I started and said "wow, this is great!" and then realized I had to do this twenty-four fucking times. I'm amazed I got this done in two fucking days. I mean, a lot of it is copy/paste so I guess I understand that.**_

 _ **Wow, so enjoy this monster chapter. I decided to write out everyone's Private Sessions because Ollie hit 2000 before his even started and Joule's got plot the night after, and I wanted to put them in there. Oh, btw, credit for the format goes to Tracelynn! Thanks for inspiring me Trace!**_

 _ **The next chapter is bound to be much shorter as it will only have two POVs, Luna and Joule.**_

 _ **Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Still updating the blog with lots of stuff. Let me know any future predictions. A lot of the relationships listed here are still developing, and I still have bunches more planned for most of the tributes so this is far from endgame, trust me!**_

 _ **CQ: What did you think of the Private Sessions? Anything in particular that surprised you or that you're curious about?**_

 _ **Thanks for all the support! I can't wait to show you all what else I have in store for each of the tributes!**_


	25. Luna & Joule: Determination

-Luna Pentti, 18, District 4-

Michael and Port were being fucking ridiculous. It really said something that Blushina was a better strategist than either of them. Luna had no idea why the hell Scarlett let these two buffoons mentor together. It was surely a good thing that the tributes wanted to be mentored separately, because if they were to want to be together, their mentors wouldn't have been able to do it. Luna frankly didn't care about why they avoided each other like the plague, but Nerio was not afraid at all to ask personal questions. It was obvious that neither mentor was going to answer them, and Luna had no idea why it mattered to Nerio.

Luna supposed that her mentor would be next to useless considering it was only his second time mentoring. He tried his very damndest to be helpful, but he really had no idea what he was doing. The only thing he could do was give her advice on the Games, but a lot of the stuff he said, she already knew. Unlike Michael, Luna _lived_ at the Academy. She had been living the Games practically every day of her life. If that wasn't determination, dedication, Luna had no idea what was.

She was going to make her parents wish that they'd never lost her. That was a fact. She was going to make them wish they could tell people she was their daughter. They'd never be able to, though. She'd make sure they never called her their daughter. She wasn't. Not anymore. They treated her like absolute shit, and driven her out. They put all their faith in Helios. Nobody could compare to the perfect child. He was young and adorable, full of potential, he was strong and fast, he had a chance to be successful. Luna was never anything but chopped liver. She was going to make them regret the years and fucking _years_ of emotional abuse they put her through. She was going to show them that she was strong, she was talented, she was worthy, she was fucking amazing, she was everything Helios was and more! _She was fucking good enough!_

Luna couldn't count the number of times they'd made her feel that way when she was young. She couldn't count the times they compared her to her younger brother, she couldn't count the number of times they told her she wasn't enough.

When Luna was younger, she spent so much time crying. She spent so much time hiding in her room, under the covers, trying to hold in the tears. She felt pathetic for crying. She hated it. Her parents yelled at her when she cried, they laughed at her. She was left wondering why she wasn't enough for them. She wondered if it was because she was a girl. If it was because she was weak and cried like a fucking girl. Helios wasn't a girl, he was a strong man. Luna could never be like him. He was the perfect child and she was just the piece of garbage that had nothing on the side. She spent so much time feeling worthless, too much time.

Luna saved herself. She _single-handedly_ pulled herself back the fuck up. She didn't need anyone to save her. Maybe there was a point that she did, but nobody was fucking there for her. She saved herself, she got her confidence without any help, and she was proud of that, dammit! She was strong, she'd overcome abuse and adversity, she was a survivor. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was good enough anymore. She didn't care what other people thought because she knew she was fucking amazing and that was what mattered. She didn't care. She couldn't care about people. Other people only brought with them pain. She was done trying to impress people that would throw her off to the side. She deserved better. She deserved so much better.

She proved herself. She trained, she practiced, she fought. She was fearless, she single-handedly earned her spot to volunteer, and she was going to win. She was going to lead their ragtag little Career alliance to Victory and nobody could stop her.

Nerio went to watch the reveal of Training Scores with Chance, so Luna sent an Avox to invite her allies to watch it with them. Well, some of her allies. Ester's invitation must have accidentally been lost along the way somehow. What a shame.

Dania was the first to arrive. She and Nona came together, as Nona said that Wickia had taken over the Second Floor. Miya and Roxanne came up together, but without Attila. Luna wondered why they didn't just come together to save elevator energy, but it was beyond her. The girls got some lemonade. When Attila arrived, his mentor wasn't with him. However, he wasn't alone. Ester smiled at the others and gave a wave.

"Hey guys!"

Luna was as salty as the green ocean in which the trainees learned to swim. She couldn't believe Ester was here. The District Eight girl, to Luna, was not much more than a liability, a scapegoat. She may have been smart enough to moozy her way into this alliance, but she was not going to have any power whatsoever. Luna wanted to strategize without her, but knew that showing any of that might put more of a fracture in the alliance before, and that was the last thing Luna wanted.

"Hi Ester," Dania said. "Hey Attila."

The boy from Ten gave a wave. Luna wanted to wring his neck in that moment. He took a seat next to Luna, Ester plopping down happily on his other side.

Luna could respect Attila, but she couldn't respect Ester. Attila was in it for the honor. Even though he got swindled, he had heart. Luna admired that about him. She felt the same way. She was especially interested in his tattoos. That showed his pain tolerance, that was for sure. Plus, they were cool to look at. Luna had always been interested in tattoos and that sort of thing that Capitolites did.

Luna caught her gaze resting on him and quickly turned back to the television.

"How do you guys think you did?" Miya asked.

"I think I did the very best I could," Dania said. "I left some carnage."

"Me too," Luna said.

Ester didn't say anything. It took everything in Luna not to smirk. Everyone knew she was the weakest link. Before long, Piccolo and Viola appeared on the screen.

"Good evening Panem!" Piccolo chirped. "And welcome to the Announcement of Scores for the 125th Hunger Games!"

"This is so exciting!" Viola added. "For the past three days, the tributes have been training diligently. Alliances were formed, and some of the tributes started to feel the heat. I think we're in for a fierce Games, don't you?"

"Oh, for sure!" Piccolo said. "Without any further ado, the scores!"

Viola beamed at the camera, flipping her ponytail as she read the first tribute.

"From District One! Chancellor Magnusun! With a score of… Ten!"

Miya let out a low whistle. Luna wasn't sure why she was so surprised. Chance was obviously extremely strategic and extremely accurate with his weapons of choice.

"And, from District One, Wicke Valentine! With a score of… Eight!" Still not surprising. Dania's District was next. Luna noticed a hint of nerves in her expression as they announced her District partner's score.

"From District Two, Wicke's partner in crime, Acacia Blasdell! With a score of… Nine!"

"And, her lovely District partner Dania Lidano! With a score of… Nine!"

Miya gave a slight woop and bumped Dania on the shoulder, who was smiling proudly.

"Good job kid," Nona said, from her place up on the couch. Dania's grin widened, if that was possible.

"From District Three, Becquerel Pierre! With a score of… Seven." That one was surprising. Bec hadn't done much during Training, but now he was proving to be a threat with that score.

"And, from District Three, Kaelys Deinard! With a score of… Wow. Seven!" Wow was right. Luna had no idea what the hell she managed that. She made a mental note to watch out for her.

"From District Four, Nerio Thames! With a score of… Eight!"

Luna was simmering. She wanted nothing more than to outscore her airhead District partner. Not only was he a replacement for Cruz, who would have been so easy to manipulate, but he was barely taking any of this seriously.

"And, District Four's lovely Luna Pentti! With a score of… Nine!"

Luna couldn't help but be proud. She was finally starting to prove her skills. Soon, everyone would know her as the Victor of the 125th Hunger Games. She was going to make her doubters regret underestimating her. She was going to make them regret everything. Michael gave her a thumbs-up and Dania rubbed her shoulder.

"From District Five, Joule Barode! With a score of… Five!"

"And, from District Five, Dyna Hoalburn! With a score of… Five!"

"From District Six, Rigley Fidler! With a score of… Four!"

"And, his lovely District partner, Desiree Menghiasi! With a score of… Two." Luna's eyebrows shot up as the picture of the fifteen-year-old faded. Desiree had been training with weapons and traps. Of all tributes to receive such a low score, she was certainly the most surprising.

"Wow," Miya said. Everyone was surprised, it seemed.

"From District Seven, the dashing Syca Gallen! With a score of… Four!"

"And, Little Red Riding Hood, Persei Holloway! With a score of… Five!"

"From District Eight, Semper Celandine! With a score of… Three!"

"And, of course, Ester Perliam! With a score of… Six!" Just as Luna had suspected, a tidal wave of awkward crashed across the group. Luna knew she was going to score significantly lower than the others, which is why she didn't want to invite her up. Nobody knew what to say. Ester seemed pretty disappointed she scored so low but hid it well.

"From District Nine, Jasper Pearce! With a score of… Four!"

"And, his partner in crime and sassy District partner, Juniper Fisher! With a score of… Six!"

"Next up, our other volunteer, Attila of the Windy Plains! With a score of… Woah, ten!" Roxanne whoops and Ester gushes, grabbing Attila's arm and congratulating him. Luna couldn't help but scowl. Ester had no business being all touchy touchy with him like that. It was just… Ugh. Stupid.

"And, his District partner, Miya! With a score of… Eight!"

"Alright, atta girl," Roxanne said, squeezing Miya's shoulder. Dania rubbed the Ten girl's arm and said, "Good job Mi."

"Thanks!" she said, smiling. Even Miya, the lowest-scoring Career, had outscored her by two. Which didn't seem so bad, but on a scale of one to twelve, it was a significant difference.

"Next, we have District Eleven's Oleander Kirk! With a score of… Four!"

"And, who could forget, his District partner Daria Junius! With a score of… Woah, six!"

"Bullshit," Luna said, immediately. There was no way such a little girl, a little Capitolite girl, could score like that. Surely there was some grade A bullshit involved in giving her such a bad score.

"Don't mind it," Dania said, "They'll see who's really stronger when we hit the Arena."

Luna sighed. She liked the Capitol, but it was a bit annoying that the fifteen-year-old from Eleven got the same score as their weakest link.

"Next, from District Twelve, Jacques Noir! With a score of… Six!" Luna raised her eyebrows. That was certainly a surprise.

"And, finally, from District Twelve, Ashlyn Bayard! With a score of… Two."

Wow, somehow the quiet boy nobody cared about outscored his District partner. Luna definitely knew who to peg as a threat now, that was for sure. It was a very educational, eye-opening event, and Luna was ready to plan her strategy.

"So, I think we know who to watch for now," Miya said. Her optimism was unwavering, that was for sure.

"The power couples that thought they were so cool for leaving," Dania said. She seemed a little bit salty. Maybe she thought Acacia would stay loyal to her because they were from the same District. Maybe she thought Acacia and Wicke were her friends. Who knew? Luna was pissed that they left, but she knew why they would. The idea of eight trained tributes trying to cooperate sounded like a nightmare.

Luna was glad that Nerio left, but would have liked to keep a couple of the powerhouses and weed out the weak. However, there would hopefully be strength in numbers as they almost broke even with five. Five against two was still a three person advantage. Even if Miya was reaped, the girl knew what to do. Attila was a powerhouse, and Dania was extremely ferocious. Luna knew exactly what to do. Four trained tributes on two was still a comfortable advantage. She wasn't worried about facing either of the Capitol's sweetheart couples.

The alliance stayed together, the mentors with them, relaxing and eating tea. Miya suggested that they go up to the top floor and play something, and, because Luna wanted to stay on her allies' good sides, she went with them.

After all, she had a lot of practice to do being sociable and sucking up before interviews and a party within the coming days.

* * *

-Joule, 18, District Five-

Joule watched the Private Scores with his mentor Tim and his escort, Maxim. Maxim was nice enough, Joule didn't love him but didn't hate him either. He was pretty aloof, it seemed, often lost in his own thoughts. He seemed like the kind of guy Joule could have a conversation with over tea, a very deep thinker. Joule liked to think he was a deep thinker too.

Joule, as was the usual, felt a bit like a fish out of water. He had scored pretty close to the middle of the pack, and while all the other tributes had alliances and strategies planned out, Joule had no idea what he was doing. He talked to Riggs a bit, but nothing was official. Not to mention Nerio was just so easy to get along with. He seemed to like Joule, but was attached by the hip to Chance from District One. How was Joule supposed to compete with that? He couldn't help feeling like maybe, just maybe, he had a shot at allying with Nerio. It would be the best way for Joule to get home to his fiancé Rilah.

After the announcement of scores, Maxim went back to bed. Tim asked if he had other questions, but seemed tired, and Joule knew that he'd have plenty of time to ask questions later. He simply shook his head, and Tim went back to bed.

Joule couldn't say he didn't like being in the Capitol. His closet was full of comfy clothes, including the soft, thick wool sweater he was wearing. The shelves were full of books. Joule was pretty well-read by District Five standards, but that was absolutely nothing compared to these works. Instead of spending his nights sleeplessly awake in his bed, he'd gotten a book and some hot chocolate and read. That night, he started a new book called _The Scarlet Letter_ , apparently a rewrite of a story that was written thousands of years ago. It was pretty interesting, and Joule really liked it.

The more he read about Hester and her daughter Pearl, two outcasts, the more he felt the urge to talk to Nerio. He didn't want to be alone in the Arena. He didn't want to be an outcast. He wanted to be successful. He decided he would go up on the District Four floor and try to get Nerio to ally with him. It would be hard to convince him, but Joule thought they were pretty good friends. Maybe Nerio had a thing for him, even if he was acting with Chance. Maybe he could weasel his way in.

And, if not, the worst thing Nerio could do now was say no. In the Arena, that wouldn't be the case.

Once he'd read the last word of the book, it was about eleven forty-five. He got on the elevator and went down a floor. He suddenly wondered if Luna would be there, and considered going back up. Maybe this was stupid and he was running on a whim. Maybe this would only end in humiliation. Maybe he should turn back before it was too late.

The doors opened and the Common Room was empty, so Joule stepped out. He tiptoed to where he figured Nerio's room would be. _Maybe he'd be angry I woke him up_ … Joule thought. He couldn't help the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Joule knocked on the door.

The first thing Joule noticed about Nerio was that he slept shirtless. He didn't seem too tired, though, luckily, and he smiled when he saw Joule.

"Hey there!" he said. "What brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you, actually," Joule said. "If that's alright…"

"Of course." Nerio let him in, sitting on his bed and patting the spot next to him, where Joule sat. "What did you wanna talk about?" His smile reminded Joule of Rajai.

He swallowed hard. "You're allying with Chance."

"Hm, I suppose. I mean, a lot of it is an act."

"Yeah… I noticed. I just wondered if… Maybe… You'd want to… Ally with me."

"…With you?"

"Yeah. I mean, yeah, it's stupid, but… Why would you be fake romantic with him? We seemed to be a pretty good team in training."

"Hm…"

"I don't have any romantic attraction to guys. I don't think… I mean, um, I'm not really sure but…"

"I like you, Joule. You're a nice guy. I think that, in any other place, we'd be friends."

Joule might have actually been getting somewhere… "Oh, I think so too…" Joule's eyes wandered to Nerio's arms, and his sculpted abs. Not even Rajai had those.

 _Not here, Joule…_ he scolded himself, quickly shaking his head. Nerio had said something, but Joule didn't even hear the words.

"What was that?" Joule sounded so stupid, he was sure of it.

The corner of Nerio's lips went up in a small smirk. "Y'know what, it isn't important."

"Sorry. It's just a little bit late, y'know…" Joule scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it." Nerio had a glint in his eyes that made Joule lose all of his inhibitions. It was just too tempting. The chances of him dying were pretty high, and it felt right. Joule made the first move, wrapping his arms around the District Four boy's shoulders and going for the kiss. Joule had that same nagging in the back of his mind that he always had when he did things like this, but he shut it out. Neroi kissed back, quickly.

 _If this is how I get him to ally with me, so be it,_ Joule tried to justify. But he knew in the back of his mind that he was filling his own desires.

Nerio was a much different kind of kisser from Rajai. Much more mellow, less urgent. He didn't try to push Joule off when the Five boy moved on his lap, but the fight for dominance was far from over. Joule had forgotten how good it felt to kiss, and how fucking amazing it was to have calloused, hard-working hands yanking off his clothes. And holy fuck, the grinding. Joule had no idea how desperate he was for it until it was happening, and he lost all his patience. The moment his sweater hit the floor he pinned Nerio to the bed and tugged his sweatpants off. Joule could laugh and play around a bit in bed, but at the same time he was desperate as fuck.

"Man, you have no bedroom etiquette, do you?" Nerio laughed, his breathing becoming ragged as Joule's kisses went lower and lower.

"I'm not very patient," Joule said, peering up at him with smug, predatory eyes.

"I suppose if one or both of us is going to die there isn't much room for patience," Nerio said. Joule quickly stripped his underwear off, and the rest of was history.

.

Joule knew as soon as it was over that he'd made a mistake. Nerio hadn't given him a solid answer about allying, and it seemed that he never would. As soon as Joule caught his breath he got up, putting his clothes back on, and hurrying back to his floor. He knew he'd made a mistake and was already regretting it.

He took the elevator back up to the fifth floor. He snuck out of the elevator, tiptoeing to avoid waking anyone, but was surprised to see Common Room flickering with the dim light of the television. Tim was there, a piece of cloth stretched out across the floor. Tim looked up and locked eyes with him, and his mentor's expression immediately became sad.

"Tim-"

"Joule, you might want to take a seat."

"What?" Joule sat on the floor and felt the weight of a blanket being wrapped around his shoulders. Tim handed him a mug. Joule was confused. Tim was a nice guy, but why- he was on the screen.

"They… They aired it as soon as they could compile and edit it." Watching himself cheat, Joule felt repulsed. It didn't take a genius to know that this would be the talk of the Capitol. They were the only tributes to have had sex. The Capitolites would feast on it. Joule couldn't do anything but stare at his mentor, totally in shock. He couldn't imagine how hurt Rilah must have been. He could only pray she wasn't awake to see it. Tim's voice was soft and gentle when he said, "I'm so, so sorry Joule."

He had no idea what to say. He couldn't imagine his fiancé, who was probably watching all the time, waiting for Joule to get back, making sure he was okay. And this is what she'd see. Joule had always known somewhere in the back of his mind that someday it would come to this. It was ten times worse than what he'd been imagining he'd feel like.

"You wanna help me make a blanket?" Tim asked gently.

"Huh?" Joule felt totally numb.

"Here, you take this part here and you tie it." He showed Joule where the edges were cut into strips, two fabrics layered on top of each other. "Trina taught me how to do this. It helps me when I have nightmares about my Games. Gives you something else to think about."

"Um, sure." Joule, still shaking slightly, took a sip of hot chocolate to calm his nerves before sitting across the blanket from his mentor. Tim showed him how to tie the two pieces together with each tassel. Joule felt better working on the blanket. Tim turned off the TV, lighting the dark room with the gentle light of a lamp. Joule felt horrible, but the methodical motion of tying the blanket made it slightly more tolerable.

In the silence, Tim started to hum. Joule worked silently. The more time passed, the closer to tears Joule felt. Soon, Tim started to sing.

"Oh, watch the stars, see how they run…

Oh, watch the stars, see how they run…

The stars run down, at the setting of the sun.

Oh, watch the stars, see how they run."

Joule listened, and soon his hands stopped working when he couldn't swallow the tears any longer. Joule dropped the blanket and started to cry. He was about to stand up and leave to keep from disturbing Tim, but it was too late. Tim crossed the blanket and sat next to him.

"Oh God…" Joule sobbed. His heart was breaking. He hated himself for doing this. He hated what he'd done to his fiancé. He hated it.

"It's okay," Tim said, but they both knew it wasn't.

"What the hell is wrong with me?!" Joule sobbed. Tim reached out and rubbed his back gently. It was comforting to know that he wasn't alone.

"There's nothing wrong with you."

"Why the hell can't I feel sexual attraction for my own fucking _fiancé_!?" Joule sobbed. He had been suppressing these feelings for so long. Too long. "What's wrong with me!?"

"Nothing," Tim said, sternly and quietly, like a Dad. "Sexual and romantic orientation can be two totally separate entities."

"I must be broken!" Joule sobbed. "I have to be fucking broken! I love her! I love her but I don't want to fuck her! What's wrong with me?!"

"Joule, you can still love her even if you don't want sex with her," Tim said quietly.

"I'm a fucking cheater!" Joule sobbed.

Tim just rubbed his back. He couldn't say that Joule wasn't. That'd be a lie.

"This isn't necessarily the end," Tim said. "You can still be honest with her. You might have to put off your engagement for a while until you get that trust back, but if you come clean you can still save what you have."

Joule didn't answer. He just had to let out his sadness, and Tim understood that. He rubbed Joule's back while the boy cried. Joule cried for a while, until he felt like he had no tears left. He was exhausted, but didn't want to sleep. After he quieted, he silently picked up the blanket again and continued to tie. Tim got the message, and went back to his side. Tim went back to humming, and Joule appreciated that. It filled the silence nicely.

"Hey Tim?" he interrupted. His voice was hoarse from crying, but he thought he should ask.

"Hm?"

"Have you ever considered being a father? Like, for real?"

The man's eyebrows shot up at the question. "It was a consideration, once. I decided not to, though. I wasn't ready. I was still having Games nightmares, I couldn't care for a kid. And I couldn't make Trina do all the work."

"You wouldn't have to have a baby. You could always adopt or something."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you'd be a great father."

Tim smiled gently at him. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." He went back to his blanket-making, and Joule did the same.

Joule had fucked up, that was for sure. He had no idea what he would come home to. Maybe he'd come home to nothing. An insistent Rilah, who would never give him another chance. But, he had to try. If there was a grain of hope that they could still get married, that he could be honest and they could mend things, he was going to give it his best shot.

For the moment, though, he couldn't help feeling so hopefully. Tim was extremely kind, but that didn't change anything.

Joule would always have the scarlet letter on his chest.

All he could do was fight and try his best to fix things. Hopefully it would be enough.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Yay, another chapter! I hope you liked this chapter. I hope the plot was enough to carry it, even though it's shorter than some of others have been! I hope you liked this second look at Luna and Joule!**_

 _ **So, things heat up! And now we're at the Interviews! Ahh I can't wait to show you all what I have in store, there are still plenty of feels to be had before we hit the Games!**_

 _ **Anyways, I always like to know what you think of my updates and any predictions for the future are! There is still more drama to go before we hit the Arena!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Do you think Rilah will ever consider taking Joule back? Which interviews are you looking forward to seeing the most?**_

 _ **Next chapter we hear from Chance and Dyna for the first half of interviews! See you then!**_


	26. Chance & Dyna: Interviews I

-Chancellor Magnusun, 17, District 1-

Chance was ready to kill someone.

He and Nerio had a deal, and the crowds were really starting to buy it. Now, those plans had a wrench thrown in them. Maybe Nerio got to play games, but he was totally leaving Chance to flail. What the hell was he supposed to say about any of this!?

Chance was anxious to see Nerio. Wait, no, anxious, no, he couldn't possibly be anxious. Not anxious, more like… Oh, fuck it, whatever! He was itching to see Nerio again so they could figure out what the hell to do next. At this point, part of Chance considered dumping Nerio and going back with the Careers, but he'd just about rather die than do that. Besides, that alliance was barely stable. With such a mishmash of different Districts and personalities, Chance couldn't see it lasting all that long. He would just have to figure out how to smooth things out in a way that didn't diminish him. That was the last thing Chance wanted.

Chance's prep team did nothing but praise him as they prepared him for his interview. They made sure his hair was clean and put him in a classic black suit. The touch of color was simply in the form of a red bowtie around his neck. Simple, clean, sharp, deadly. Chance wasn't complaining.

He'd worked all that morning with Cartier to make sure he had the best strategy and there would be no flops or dropping the ball. After dinner, the tributes were all packed into four separate limos based on District and taken to the building where the interviews would take place. There, they were styled and dolled up for the event that would happen later that night. Chance felt fairly confident that he could run with his angle, he was the strong, intimidating Career that was going to give the other tributes hell. He was definitely ready to show that.

He hadn't interacted much with Wicke since they both split form the big Career alliance. He had no need to. He was confident that he and Nerio could take them if necessary. Plus, Wicke's strategy was pretty much worn on her sleeve at this point, so he had no reason to keep talking to her. Blessing and Wicke stayed pretty separate from Cartier and Chance. Namibia was on both sides, of course. She was a bit of an eyesore, but nice enough. Chance didn't interact with her a whole lot, but she was pretty experienced with this whole escorting thing so Chance was inclined to listen to what she said.

Chance felt confident in his interview outfit, sure that he could sway the crowds and intimidate the other tributes. Now only one matter remained that needed solving. But that could wait just a while longer.

Chance met up with Cartier once he was dressed, the thought of facing Nerio again making Chance angry already. He was going to show him who was boss, that was for sure. It wasn't fair of him to do that. They had a _plan_. Chance didn't really get to see him long enough to talk to him until they were being called out in order, where they would stand in line waiting for their interviews. Chance held his place, just waiting until the others were lined up before he would make his move.

Once Jacques's name was called and he took his place, Chance made his move. Nerio saw him coming, tensing up as Chance approached. He was wearing a teal suit with a black shirt under. His hair was slicked back, it looked damn good, but Chance couldn't think of that now. His vision was practically red with anger as he pinned Nerio to the wall.

"How could you!?" he asked. A lot of the surrounding tributes stepped away from them, giving them plenty of space. "We had a plan and you pull this shit on me!?"

Nerio's eyes betrayed fear but his posture remained calm.

"You know where we are," Nerio said calmly.

Chance couldn't believe what he was hearing. No apology or anything! He pulled his fist up, ready to punch Nerio's pretty face, make sure the entire nation knew that Chance wouldn't be messed with.

"Chance, I'm really sorry," Nerio said quickly.

"After everything we talked about?! How the hell am I supposed to go out there without looking like a fucking _idiot_!?" Chance was about to punch, but when he caught Nerio's eyes, he froze up. He couldn't do it. This was his ally, and friend, and he was just playing a strategy. He didn't initiate any of it, he just went along with it. And, even if Nerio was red-handed guilty, Chance liked him and didn't want to hurt him. He dropped his fist, much to Nerio's relief.

"It was… A moment of weakness," Nerio said, staring up at Chance in that same way he had when they were acting together on the roof. Chance held eye contact with him, trying to figure out the best thing to say that wouldn't paint him as a softie or a loser or an idiot. He was mad, but he redirected his anger towards a new source: that District Five bastard. He was the one that was trying to break them apart. And by redirecting his anger, Chance got an idea.

Instead of hurting Nerio like he'd initially wanted, he leaned forward and kissed him hard. Nerio made a small shocked noise as Chance made sure to loosen the blue tie around his neck. He kissed down to Nerio's neck, where he lingered for a while, sucking and biting, ensuring there would be a dark mark for his interview, a mark Chance had made, to show possession. Nerio just gaped in shock, running his hands down Chance's back. Chance pulled back once Nerio had a sizable hickey, and whispered close to his ear.

"My room, midnight," he growled. "I'm going to make you forget you ever met that District Five bastard."

Nerio swallowed hard, his eyes still up on Chance's face, before nodding quickly. "Of course."

Suddenly the tributes heard the loud noise of the fanfare playing that symbolized the beginning of the Interviews. Piccolo Wallace greeted the nation extremely enthusiastically. Today he was dressed in a magenta suit with a matching top hat with a red bow tied around it.

"Welcome, one and all, to the night of Interviews for the Fifth Quarter Quell!" The crowd roared, the room was practically shaking with the noise. "We have quite a show planned for tonight, featuring our twenty-four unique tributes here for the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Hunger Games!" The crowd continued to applaud.

"Alright! Now I won't keep you waiting, without any further ado, here is our Queen of Hearts, Miss Wicke Valentine!"

Wicke stepped out, her lips forming a small smile. She was wearing a red, silky, V-neck, off-the-shoulder dress that flowed down to her feet in an elegant, princess-like fashion. The back of the dress had a pretty corset. She had a small golden tiara on her head as an homage to her chariot outfit.

"Welcome to the Capitol Wicke! I'm floored, you look spectacular!"

The crowd roared in agreement. Chance jumped a bit when Acacia let out the loudest woop he'd ever heard in response.

"Thank you, thank you." Her make-up was very simple, with black winged eyeliner, mascara, subtle blush, colorful red lips, and a small heart painted beside her left eye. "It's great to be here."

"So, I think it's quite fitting that you volunteered for this Quell in particular, considering your name is already festive!" The crowd kept applauding, but Piccolo kept talking, trying not to waste too much time with the applause. "What drove you to volunteer?"

"I'm here for the glory," she said, remaining calm and collected. "I'm here to place first. I'm here to prove that I am worth the gold. I will never be second again." Towards the end, her voice had taken on a somewhat salty tone.

"Wowzers, I sure do love to see such determination! Before you steal the spotlight, why don't you tell us a bit about what's waiting for you at home?"

"Not all that much. A couple of parents that constantly underestimate me. My best friends, Sterling, Opal, and Amelie." Suddenly, a smirk spread across her face. "And, of course, my other great friend Rhodadendrum. I miss you Rhode!"

Chance knew that was dripping with sarcasm. Probably to add insult to injury on the girl she'd beat out for the spot. It was really neck-and-neck between those two. Piccolo asked a few more questions about Wicke's home before the topic switched to the Quell.

"So, we're all curious. Tell us about your relationship with Acacia!" he squeaked excitedly.

Wicke smiled, knowing that this would happen. "There's not all that much to say. I suppose it speaks for itself, no?"

The crowd applauded in agreement. "Is there anything heartfelt you'd like to say? To anyone, really? This may be your last chance."

"It won't be," Wicke said. "But… I'm really glad we met and got to spend this time together. Even if it's short, I feel like we've known each other for… For years." The crowd applauded at that as Wicke's buzzer went off and Piccolo presented her to the crowd one last time.

"Next up, we have the King of Hearts from District One, Chancellor Magnusun!"

That was his cue. He put on the most intimidating expression he could and stepped out on stage.

"Welcome Chance! You look absolutely dashing!"

Chance gave a nod. "Thanks."

"Take a seat, please!" Piccolo sat and Chance sat across from him, keeping his calm composure. "So, I think we're all buzzing with questions!" The crowd kept shouting, so much Chance could barely focus on Piccolo's words over the noise. "Now now, let's not overwhelm him. Why don't we start with a little history. What was your home life like?'

"Fine. My parents pushed me to train with all my might. I was always destined to be here."

"Now, I think we should bring up that District One's volunteers are usually eighteen years old, which you are not. Is there a reason?"

Chance couldn't help the small smirk that spread across his face. "I was the best. I defeated everyone that stood in my way, regardless of age. I earned it."

The crowd roared with applause, which caused Chance's smirk to grow. He couldn't help it, he could definitely get used to this. The crowd loved him. they loved the strong, powerful, trained Career that was a top choice for Victor. He loved to play that part.

"So, you wanted to volunteer for the Fifth Quell? Quell Victors have quite the legacy! Nobody would ever forget you!" The crowd kept applauding and Chance's smile became a full-out grin. He wanted to cheer with them, but remained calm and kept his composure.

"Yes, being a Quell Victor would definitely be a bonus. Some people miss both Quells and never get this chance. Guess my parents chose the right time to procreate."

The crowd started to laugh loudly. He hadn't meant to be funny, but he figured he may as well just ride it.

"So, why don't you tell us about your friends?"

"Well, Raymora's a good friend. Not as ambitious as me, but that's alright. She's really helpful and spunky. Then there's Wylyn. She's pretty neat." Chance thought about he girl he was crushing on. She didn't seem all that important anymore. "And my best friend is named Marlen. He's always been there for me. We support each other, and that's what matters." The crowd seemed overly interested in this, but soon they started to shout again.

"How about your family? Do you have any siblings?"

"One. Radiance." Chance had to make an effort to keep his calm composure. "We've never gotten along." Perfect Radiance, who couldn't do anything wrong. Perfect Radiance, no matter what she did it was always good enough, always worth it. Chance never shaped up to perfect Radiance. He hated her, but he didn't want to make a scene or shed any negative light upon himself if he could avoid it. He just kept calm, and Piccolo changed the subject quickly.

"Alright, well, let's see. You're not the only seventeen-year-old volunteer this year…" Piccolo started, smiling mischievously, to which the crowd started shouting and whistling and whooping. "You and Nerio definitely seem to be close!" The crowd screamed, so loudly that the bottom of the stage seemed to rumble. Chance remained calm, though.

"Tell us about it!" Piccolo seemed just as excited as any other crowd member. He bounced up and down, smiling from ear to ear excitedly. "Tell us everything!"

"Well, I think you've seen most everything about it."

"I think you're right! But we're all waiting for your reaction to what happened! Seeing Nerio sleep with Joule must have stung at least a little bit?"

"Hm. It did a bit. But I already came in and made sure that it's not going to happen again."

"Let's take a look at some new footage that went down before we started!" Chance barely noticed the giant screens on the walls until they lit up with the Capitol symbol. He watched the footage of him pinning Nerio to the wall and kissing him. The crowd gasped, whistled, and whooped with some wild applause. If Chance thought the noise was ground-shaking before, it was absolutely deafening now. The crowd was absolutely crazy about it, including Piccolo. Chance had to admit, the two of them looked hot together.

The crowd took forever to stop screaming after. Chance just smirked.

"There you go," he said.

"So, would you like to say something to him? Something heartfelt, maybe?"

Chance nodded a bit. "I'd just tell him…" He could feel his heart melting, as much as he tried to prevent it. "I'd tell him thanks. For the experience. And… Thanks for making me feel…" There were lots of things he could have said, but he tried to remain calm. He had to pick the right word, something that didn't make him seem weak, but didn't make him seem heartless. "Real."

The crowd went wild as Chance's buzzer rang, so loud that he couldn't even hear the timer. The ground shook, his ears rang, but it was electric. It was amazing, it was everything Chance wanted.

He waved as he walked off the stage, vowing to hold onto this feeling forever. That was what he would live for. The thrill of the crowd. The buzz of fame and celebrity-status. He loved it.

He was still smiling as he took a seat in the audience area for tributes next to Wicke.

"Next up, she's a lean, mean, killing machine, welcome Dania Lidano!"

The crowd applauded as the small girl stepped out on the stage. Her long, blonde hair was styled elegantly. She wore a beautiful blue and gold ballgown with a pair of gold sandals, that matched the golden clip in her hair. She also remained calm, waving and smiling to the crowd.

"Welcome, Dania!"

"Thank you," she said, collecting her dress to sit down.

"So, what brought you here to these Games?"

"Hard work, determination, blood, sweat and tears." She smirked a bit. "I'm so glad that I'm here, living my dream. It took so much to get here."

"Well, you certainly seem to deserve the position!" The crowd applauded at that, and Dania's smile became more real. "You look spectacular tonight, Dania!"

"Thanks," she said. "But really all the credit goes to my prep team. They're the ones that made it all happen." When the cameras showed her face up close, Chance noticed her golden eyeliner and subtle make-up. "Thanks so much, Alexa, Achaicus, and Anastius! And, of course, the one behind it all, Cambria. It's all thanks to them."

The cameras found her the members of her prep team in the crowd, who were clapping excitedly and patting each other on the back. The cameras came back to Dania.

"So, what do you think about the Career alliance this year? It's definitely not your typical group!"

"I didn't expect it to break off like this. I really didn't expect Acacia to break off. But, you know what, that's alright. We're going to be a force to be reckoned with even without them."

The crowd applauded, not nearly as fervently as they did for Chance and Nerio, but well enough.

"You also seem pretty close to your mentor, Nona. Did you know her before coming to the Games?"

"Yes. Nona helped me train back home. She's a big inspiration and I'm going to win just like she did." The crowd applauded some more.

"So, some relationships have been forming, but we haven't heard too much about you. Anyone… Catch your eye?"

Dania's ears went red at the tips. She bit her lip to keep from smiling. "No one in particular."

The crowd let out a loud, "Ooooo!"

"I don't believe it, do you!?" Piccolo said, and the crowd started to applaud in agreement.

Dania just smiled. "I'm not gonna budge," she said, keeping her polite composure.

"How mysterious! I suppose we'll just have to wait, make bets, and see!"

Piccolo asked a few more questions about her time in the Capitol and about the other Careers before asking the same last question he asked everyone else.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to anyone in particular?"

Dania bit her lip. "I guess I would say…" she looked around the room, biting her lip. "I doubt you'll ever notice me like that. But I'm so glad I got to know you. I'm glad I got to spend time with you. I admire you."

Dania's buzzer rang soon after that, and Piccolo presented her to the crowd one last time. "Everyone, Dania Lidano! Now, give it up for Dania's bubbly, confident District partner, Acacia Blasdell!"

The crowd went wild as Acacia came out from the side, bouncing on her feet and waving at the crowd. She was wearing a brown suit with a gold vest and a golden bowtie. She waved to the crowd, smiling. She also had golden eyeliner and subtle make-up. She put up her hands to encourage the crowd to cheer louder, which they did. Chance couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. He could barely hear Piccolo over the crowd.

"Wow wow wow, what a reaction! Welcome, Acacia, welcome!"

"Thank you thank you thank you! WOO HOO!" The crowd feasted off of her excitement, cheering with her. Acacia beamed ear to ear as she finally sat down next Piccolo. Even when she was sitting, she didn't stop moving. She bounced her knees and fidgeted her hands.

"So, how have you liked the Capitol so far?"

"It's amazing!" she said, beaming. "I love it!"

"And we love you! But before we get to Games stuff, let's start with why you're here."

"I'm here to win! I'm here to be a badass Quell Victor! I'm here to prove myself and I worked hard to make it to this point." The crowd applauded, and Acacia cheered with them.

"So, I've heard that you're friends with a Victor already! Is it true that you know Pluto Nicastro!?"

Acacia beamed proudly. "They're dating my big brother, Skor!"

"We've met Skor once or twice, he's definitely a nice guy!" The crowd applauded.

"He's the best! Even though he steals all my hair gel and can be annoying!" she fake-pouted, causing the crowd to laugh.

"So, tell us about your strategy. Anything you can let us in on?"

"My strategy is basically straight-forward. Show off my guns, shoot 'em off, and take the prize! Before we go on, though, I have a question for you?"

The crowd seemed extremely interested, going quiet.

"A question!? For _moi_!?" Piccolo acted it up, putting a hand over his heart and acting completely gob-struck, overdramatically honored. "I never thought this day would come…" The crowd laughed hysterically and cheered. "Ask away, my friend!"

Acacia grinned. "Have you all noticed how adorable and precious Wicke is?!" The crowd burst into applause at that, many of them whistling and clapping. The screen immediately lit up with Wicke's face. She was smiling from ear to ear, her cheeks quickly turning rosy red to match her dress.

Piccolo asked more questions about Acacia's friends and family back home along with her relationship with Wicke before the final question.

"So, is there anything you'd like to say to someone special?" Piccolo asked, bouncing his eyebrows.

Acacia nodded, and the crowd started to get restless, cheering and whooping.

"Wicke." More shouts, more cheering. "I am so honored to have met you. I know we haven't spent too much time together, but you've stolen my heart. You are… So much. You deserve the world. I'm so glad we met and that you gave me the time of day. I hope we get to spend more time together." The cameras found Wicke, who was still smiling and put her hand up in a kind of wave before blowing a kiss to the camera, which Acacia caught up on stage, grinning. She was totally lovesick.

The crowd went wild as Acacia's buzzer rang and Piccolo presented her one last time.

"Next up, the lovely District Three beauty, please welcome Kaelys Deinard!"

The girl walked out, keeping her posture as she looked out past the crowd. She had a smile on her face, which surprised Chance. With her training score, she could have gotten away with the tough angle, but that wasn't what she was doing. Chance was interested. She was wearing a black ballgown that was shorter than the front than it was in the back with silver gems on int. Her hair was done up elegantly, accentuating her cute face and the playful expression in her eyes.

"Welcome Kaelys, it's great to see you!"

"Thanks Piccolo," she said, remaining lighthearted and composed as she sat down.

"Well, what are you thinking right now? Let us in!"

"There are… A lot of people. My voice is very loud."

The crowd laughed at that, an Kaelys gave a smile. Chance hadn't seen this side of her, and now he wasn't sure what to think.

"Yes, it's a lot to get used to. Don't worry, you're doing just fine!"

"Well, I sure hope so." She smiled.

"Why don't you tell us a bit about your home life?"

Kaelys shifted slightly. "I'm an orphan. My friends are cool, though. I'm resilient and my past made me stronger."

"That's good to hear! Making the best out of a bleak situation!" The crowd applauded. "And you seem to be making the best out of this as well! I've come to understand you're making a group to tackle the Games?"

"That's right," she said. "I'm teaming up with Beauty and the Beast from Nine." That caused the crowd, including Piccolo, to laugh.

"Good, good, you should make a good team! Are you stepping into the leader role for this alliance, then?"

Kaelys's mouth went up slightly in a kind of smirk. "Yes, I'd say I am."

"It must be hard to get them to pay attention to anything but each other!" Piccolo said, causing the crowd to laugh.

"It's impossible to pry those two apart," Kaelys said, adding to the humor and causing the crowd to laugh as well.

"Do you ever feel like a third wheel?" Piccolo asked.

"With those two, it's hard not to." Chance didn't really get what she was saying about Nine's PDA. If anything, Acacia and Wicke were worse than the Nine couple was. Chance couldn't even recall seeing those two at the same station. Maybe she was just making something up for publicity.

"Well, that's no fun! Is there anyone you've met so far that you've hit it off with?"

Kaelys considered. "Nope. Forever alone, y'know?"

"Oh, I don't believe that for a second!" Piccolo tried to get something out of her, but Kaelys wasn't budging. Another mysterious angle. Chance saw her and Ashlyn shown together on one of the programs, but she didn't mention the girl from Twelve at all. After some teasing and other questions, Piccolo calmed down the crowd for the final question.

"So, just say that maybe there's someone out there… Would you want to say something to that person?"

Kaelys considered. She couldn't turn this one into a joke. "I'd just say…" She shrugged. "I wish we could have made it work."

"It's not too late!" Piccolo said, and the crowd applauded in agreement, but Kaelys shrugged it off, saved by her buzzer.

"Alright, next up, our District Three volunteer, please give a big hand for… Becquerel Pierre!"

Bec walked out, waving and smiling at the crowd. He was wearing black pants, a red silk waistcoat, and a gray dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. An untied black bowtie hung casually around his neck. The audience whistled and applauded when he waved to them, grinning, before sitting down next to Piccolo.

"Welcome Bec! You look incredible!"

"Thank you Piccolo! You look dapper as well, my friend!" That caused the crowd to cheer louder.

Piccolo beamed from ear-to-ear. "Thank you! But this isn't about me, it's about you! I think we're all curious: why'd you volunteer?" The crowd quieted to hear his response.

"I volunteered… For the rush, man! I've loved every second I've been here in the Capitol. It was kind of on a whim, but… Yeah. I volunteered to come here and show myself to the world!"

"You've definitely done that!" Piccolo said, and the crowd roared with applause.

"You know, Piccolo, this isn't the first time I've been known outside of the Districts!"

Piccolo looked extremely interested. "Ooo, really?! When might we have seen you before?!"

"So glad you asked!" he said enthusiastically. He pulled a picture out of the pocket on his shirt. "Take a look at this!"

The camera zoomed in on the image. At first, Chance struggled to pick which one was Bec. It took Bec pointing to the long-haired redhead for Chance to recognize that it was the same person.

"That's me," Bec said. "Me and my friends. This was in a Capitol magazine that was highlighting the Districts. I wasn't out to everyone at the time, but I knew I was trans for at least a year before this was taken."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Piccolo said. Chance thought one of the people in the photo looked vaguely familiar, but didn't mention anything.

"Can you tell us about the people in the photo?"

Bec nodded. "That's Ari," he said, pointing to a slightly pudgy girl. "She's great. Really ambitious, I respect her a lot." He pointed to a young boy, the one that looked slightly familiar. "That's Jace. He's the sweetest person you'll ever meet, I promise." He then pointed to another slightly pudgy girl covered in grease and oil stains. "That's Rose. She's a fighter, she's taught me a lot."

"Who else is waiting for you back home?"

"My brother Erwin." Bec smiled. "He's the best. I love my home, District Three, and everyone there, but especially him. He's great, I know it's kind of corny, but he's really my best friend."

Piccolo asked him some more about his family back home, and his ally Dyna. Bec only had great things to say, sweet-talking it up.

"So, you don't experience romantic attraction, but how about you give a shoutout to your friends and loved ones back home?"

Bec smiled. "Of course. Guys, I am going to do everything to make it back to you. Thank you for being my foundation in tough times. We persevere together, and always will. I love you all and can't wait to make it back to you all."

Bec's buzzer rang and Piccolo presented him to the crowd one last time.

Chance leaned back into the comfortable chair, relaxing. _Three Districts down, nine to go._

* * *

-Dyna Hoalburn, 18, District 5-

Dyna knew exactly what this so-called _Q-serum_ was.

The moment they were told to lay down on their stomach, Dyna knew that it wasn't just a tracker. Dyna didn't care what anyone said, they _knew_. They fucking _knew_. They could see everything about how the Capitol wanted to pull this off, everything that the other tributes hadn't yet put together.

Dyna knew exactly what the Capitol was doing to them. And the thought was really bothersome.

Steroids.

Dyna was sure it was steroids, or at least some kind of hormones. Having a transgender boyfriend who was a biology junkie had its perks. He told them everything he'd learned about transitioning. He found it extremely interesting, and hoped someday to be able to get some of the smaller things done. Dyna knew that if they won, he could have whatever he wanted. That was really just an added bonus, though, to being alive and getting back to him. Dyna missed him like nobody's business.

They weren't sure who they wanted to tell about this. Obviously the knowledge that they'd all been injected with some kind of steroids wouldn't change anything or prevent them from falling in love, but it still seemed at least a little valuable. Maybe at least a little bit of an advantage. After all, they knew something that nobody else did.

Dyna wanted to tell Bec. They weren't sure if he knew or not, but if they died, they wanted their ally to give the other tributes hell.

 _No, no, no. I'm not going to die._ Dyna refused to think like that. They had so much to get back to and couldn't afford to drop the ball. That's why they were going to give a killer interview and do whatever the hell it took to get back. They were set with Bec, he was skilled and gave a really good interview, not to mention strong. He was a lot more theatrical and memorable than Dyna was, but that meant that he'd be a bigger target. Dyna could stand to hide under his shadow for a while, let the powerhouses destroy each other, and then take the title.

There was no doubt in Dyna's mind that there were a bunch of powerhouses in this Arena. Not only were there eight volunteers, over a third of the tributes, but the youngest tributes were fifteen, which meant that they all had a strong chance. There were no scared twelve-year-olds here. There were no weak tributes. The Careers were stronger than ever, and the more power-alliances of trained tributes there are, the more chance that Dyna and Bec will cross them. Bec is a strong tribute, and he obviously has a lot of drive. Dyna had no doubt that Bec's "for the rush" excuse was bullshit, but he knew how to play this game. He knew how to give a show, the exact show that the Capitol wanted to see. Not to mention the tributes like Kaelys who seemed like they wouldn't be a threat at all and scored remarkably.

At this point, Dyna really didn't have much of a gimmick to them. Nothing that they would really be known for. That was just a bit worrisome. After all, the Careers all had their training, District, and volunteering. Plus, they had their romantic configurations to make them even more memorable. Bec was the volunteer. That would set him apart. District Nine had their loyalty thing, Joule had his affair with Nerio, Kaelys had her cute face and high score, the fifteen-year-olds had their alliance, Ashlyn had her scars. Dyna was getting lost in the vibrant gimmicks of the other tributes. They didn't want to be lost in the crowd.

At the same time, there were plenty of Victors that won by staying out of the spotlight. In fact, Dyna's mentor was one of them. Kelly Fischer was one of the youngest tributes in her Games, and spent the whole time, from beginning to end, hiding. She was just lucky. By the end of her Games, everyone was left wondering, _Who was that?_ Nobody targeted her because everyone figured she would just die on her own. She didn't.

But this was a Quell. It was different. If tributes were boring, they were as good as dead. Dyna wasn't about to cheat on the person that was their everything, even if it was just pretend. They couldn't stand the thought. Therefore, they had to have something else that would make them memorable. They suddenly wish they had something big that they could emphasize, but at the same time they didn't want to be fake. Or, well, not _too_ fake.

Dyna knew they couldn't be real. None of them could possibly stand to be real. They had to find the perfect balance, vulnerable but not too vulnerable, strong, ready to fight, but not heartless. If you're negative all the time, if you come off as a crybaby, you're doomed. There were so many pit holes to fall into and Dyna didn't have much help from their curt escort or their shy mentor. Kelly sometimes had good things to say, but first Dyna had to find her. The first couple times, it was a little bit fun. Kelly was a good hider and it gave Dyna an excuse to explore. After that, though, Dyna was just a bit frustrated with it. Bec had a really good mentor that gave him a lot of advice, so Dyna tried to feast off of that as much as they could. There was only so much they could do, though.

Their heart ached for home. They'd underestimated how much it meant to them, how that little shit hole was home. How their family was there, Owen, waiting for them to get back home. There was so much on the line for all of the tributes, of course, but Dyna had to remember that the other tributes were prioritizing themselves, and Dyna would have to do the same if they wanted to have any hope of getting home. They would have to find an angle and run with it. They wanted to get home so badly. Unlike many of the other tributes, they had the love of their life waiting for them at home. And, unlike Joule, who cracked under the pressure, Dyna was staying strong. They couldn't imagine kissing anyone but Owen, holding anyone but Owen, much less doing anything intimate with anyone but the love of their life.

They avoided Joule and Tim after it happened. They didn't want to associate with cheaters. His poor fiancé back home. Tim was mentoring them both together before, as they were two tributes with the same goal: getting home to their loved ones. But ever since Joule cracked, Dyna didn't want to be mentored with him. They thought that Joule was like them, unwilling to crack, unwilling to cheat, even _pretend_ to cheat. They thought that Joule understood them, at least somehow. But Dyna was angry at Joule for cracking like that. They thought he would at least have some goddamn self control.

Dyna didn't condone cheaters and wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. Therefore, they kept their distance from Joule. He could go with Riggs or whatever.

Joule was quiet and kept his distance from Dyna. He was obviously guilty, but Dyna felt no sympathy for him. Instead they just kept their eyes forward on the interviews.

"Everyone, please welcome District Four's fierce and fabulous, Luna Pentti!"

The girl walked out on the stage, head held high. She was wearing a short-sleeved gold dress that ended at her knees and a pair of golden high heels. Her hair was done in an elegant braided style, showing off her hazel-brown eyes.

"Welcome Luna!" Piccolo said brightly. Luna took her time getting to stage, waving to the crowds on the way. She remained calm, but engaged the crowd as she walked to her spot and sat next to Piccolo.

"Thank you," she said, flashing the crowds a dazzling smile.

"We're so glad to have you here for the Quell! Luna, the strong and fierce girl from District Four! Why don't you tell us a bit about why you volunteered?"

Luna took a deep breath. "All of my life, I've been the pathetic girl. All my life I've been the one that wasn't good enough, the one that everyone expected to fail. I hit rock bottom. I left the family that never loved me to live in the Academy. I trained until I earned the spot. I'm here to win, and to prove to everyone that put me down that I'm fucking amazing! I can do anything I want!"

The crowd roared with applause at that, and Luna's smile spread ear-to-ear. She really was pretty when she was smiling for real. That was rare, but nice to see.

"Well, you're well on your way to kicking ass and taking names!" The crowd cheered at that, and Luna kept smiling, genuinely and brightly.

"Thank you. I have to be honest, Piccolo. The Capitol has treated me so much better than District Four. I am… Blown away by your kindness and generosity. By your faith in me. Rallying behind me. Nobody's ever done that before. I loved it here the second I arrived, but the faith your people have in me is something I will never be able to replicate. When I win, I want to be immersed in Capitol culture. I've always wanted green and silver hair. When I will, I'll make it happen."

"Oh, I'd like to see that! How about you!?" The crowd cheered in response, and Luna smiled at them, blowing a kiss or two toward the camera, which caused more applause.

"So, you're the leader of the Careers this year. Is it bothersome that the alliance split?"

"Not at all." Luna's eyes sparkled. "Eight Careers is too many. We're strong and we're going to come out with a vengeance. We can take any group or pairing here."

"There you go, straight from the leader herself! Would it be appropriate to call you the leader?"

Luna smirked. "Definitely."

"Well, we're looking forward to seeing you in action!" The crowd applauded in agreement.

Piccolo asked a couple of questions more about the Careers and Luna's opinions of them before the final question.

"Is there anything heartfelt you'd like to say to a special someone?"

Luna's smile immediately became entirely fake. "You may have stolen my heart. But you will never change who I am."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as Piccolo presented her one last time.

"Next up, our witty heartbreaker, from District Four, Nerio Thames!"

The floor backstage shook as Nerio went out on stage. Everyone was screaming, it was so loud that even Dyna's ears were ringing from backstage. The boy put up a hand, waving to the crowd and smiling. He was wearing a teal suit with a black dress shirt and tie underneath, hair slicked back. Dyna was slightly surprised that he was playing this angle, as he hadn't seemed all too talkative during Training. Sure, he talked to Joule and Chance, but Dyna hadn't seen him talk to anyone else. He mostly did his work quietly. Nerio didn't even have to pump up the crowd for them to scream and cheer for him.

"Alright alright!" Piccolo had to shout into the microphone to be heard over the crowd. "Please sit down Nerio!" Piccolo and Nerio sat.

"So, wow, there are so many questions to ask, so little time! Before we get into the big stuff, let's start with some questions about your home. Why did you volunteer?"

"I'm here for pride. I'm here to make my family proud and bring honor to my name. I want to make my home proud, too, and bring honor to District Four."

"How noble and brave! So, who's waiting for you back there?"

"My parents are… Somewhat distant. They were always pretty hard to impress. But… I did it. I'm here." He smiled. "Then, there's my sister Pamela. She's fifteen and I love her a lot!"

"Will we see her in the Games someday?"

"I don't know. That's up to her."

"How about friends?"

"Well, my trainer Raina is a great person. She's always pushed me to my limit and I really appreciate her for that. And, how can I forget my best friend Lyle? He's very smart and wants to go into politics someday. I have nothing but respect for him, really, he's the best."

"Well, that sounds like a great relationship!" Piccolo grinned slyly at the crowd. "Speaking of relationships…" The crowd started screaming again, and Nerio gave a laugh. "Tell us everything!"

The crowd kept cheering, only quieting down enough to hear what Nerio had to say.

"Well, from what I've seen it's been documented a lot. But… Chance and I got along from the beginning. I was immediately comfortable with him. We teamed up. After that, he confessed his feelings for me, on the roof of the Tribute Building. I was surprised, but excited. Then Joule came to me and… Well, we were both bored. It wasn't much more than casual. Y'know, having some fun. Maybe Chance got upset by it, maybe not, but I think we're going to make up just fine." He smirked and stretched his neck, which drew attention to the dark hickey on it. Dyna had looked away when they started making out. Half of the reason why was because PDA grossed them out. The other half was because it made them miss doing those kinds of things with Owen too much.

The crowd screamed some more at that. "Well, I think so too! You lucky duck! Getting laid twice in a matter of days! And with two good-looking guys!" The crowd cheered and screamed at that. Piccolo asked him some more questions about Chance and their Games strategy before the final question.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to anyone in particular?"

Nerio nodded, and the crowd silenced. "Chance. I'm really glad we met. I'm really glad that, through it all, we're still going to be a team. I think we make a pretty amazing team. You're electric and you make me feel more alive than anything ever has before. So, thanks. I can't wait to spend more time with you."

The camera showed Chance, who grinned broadly and winked when he saw he was on the screen. The crowd screamed as Nerio's buzzer rang and Piccolo showed him off to the crowd.

Some butterflies flew around in Dyna's stomach. They were next, after all. Before they had the chance to think anything else, they heard Piccolo say, "Next up, please give an electric welcome to District Five's Dyna Hoalburn!" Dyna's legs shook slightly as they made their way up to stage. They were nervous for sure, but also determined to give a good interview.

The noise was even louder out there than it was backstage. It was more than a little overwhelming. However, Dyna felt good. Their prep team had been nothing but totally cool, with their chariot outfit and especially now, with their interview outfit. Their prep team had put some temporary hair color in their hair, a light blue color. Their prep team had put make-up on their face, with dark purple glossy lips and some blue eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Since they usually only presented in a masculine way, they weren't sure about the make-up. Their prep team had been exceptionally kind about it. The Capitolites said that Dyna didn't have to leave the make-up if it made them uncomfortable, but asked permission to at least try. When it was done, Dyna really liked how it looked, so they said to keep it. They hadn't considered wearing make-up, but they were excited about how it looked. They felt confident, and badass, and killer in the snazzy black suit with bright blue electric and yellow lightning bolts on it and the bright yellow bow tie. They couldn't help the grin that spread across their face. They felt pretty amazing, they had to admit.

"Welcome Dyna!"

Dyna shook his hand, smiling, and sat down in the seat across from him.

"So, what's going through your head right now?"

Dyna found in that moment that it was hard to collect their thoughts enough to say. "Um…" They had to think about it. "This is… Amazing. Thank you all for the warm welcome." They put on their most dazzling winner's smile as the crowd continued to applaud.

"I sure do hope you feel very welcome here! I must say, you look stunning, my pal!"

"You don't look so bad yourself," Dyna quipped, giving a playful smile.

Piccolo grinned back at them. "Thank you! So, how do you like the Capitol so far?"

"It's great," Dyna said. "I've felt very welcomed here so far. Everyone here's been hospitable and kind." Bec took the flattery to a universal level, but Dyna was focused more on being polite and likable.

"That's great to hear! Why don't you tell us a bit about your life back home? Who's waiting for Dyna?"

"My family, first off. My father has been strong, even after losing my mother to cancer. He works really hard and I'd love to win so I can get back home and lift some of that weight off of his shoulders. Then, there's my sister, Alyce. She's sixteen. She's quiet, but extremely creative. She's a really good writer and she can do amazing things someday. Then there's Matty. She's my youngest sibling, she's 12. A great person, really energetic, and she can do whatever she puts her mind to. I love my family so much and am sorry I haven't been around much. When I get home, I promise I'll be there more. It's crazy, how you don't realize how much you regret being distant until you're in a situation like this. I'm sorry for that."

"Well, I really hope you get back to them. I'm sure they miss you very much!" Piccolo sounded very genuine, which caused Dyna to smile slightly.

"Anyone else?"

Dyna smiled bittersweetly. The memories made them happy, but they were tinted blue now that the couple was apart. "Yes. My boyfriend, Owen." The crowd seemed interested immediately.

"Ooo, tell us all about him! We haven't gotten to meet him, so we have to know everything! Start spilling, my pal!" Piccolo bounced impatiently and the crowd responded in turn.

Dyna laughed a little. "Alright, alright. I mean… What can I say? He's… My everything. My rock. My life. We met when we were both kind of awkward. Well, more than kind of. We were both trapped. We were insecure, we had no idea who we were. It wasn't really a good time. You know how those years are. They were… Pretty rough. But Owen made everything worth it. Owen helped me find who I am. And everything was worth it because in the end, I got him. In the end, we were together. He's… The best. He's everything I ever asked for. Everything I could ever want. He's the most handsome man I've ever seen. He's also very intelligent, he's going to go to University for biology. He's so great and smart and everything I would ever want. A true gentleman, so polite and considerate and kind. He knows me inside and out, as corny as that seems. I could go on forever about him. He's perfect. He the cutest freckles. And the most beautiful blue eyes. He's also, like, the biggest dork I know." The audience laughed at that, and Dyna just gave a chuckle. "I love him and wouldn't have him any other way."

The audience gave a collective, "Aaaw!" Dyna just smiled.

"So, you're allying with Bec. Are you confident in your abilities together?"

Dyna nodded. "Bec's a great ally. He and I are going to be unstoppable in the Arena. We're both ready to kick some ass together. If his hair doesn't totally throw our surprise factor, that is." The audience laughed at that.

"It certainly is bright red!" Piccolo said. "So, is there anything heartfelt you want to say to someone?"

"Of course." Dyna smiled at the camera. "Owen. You've stolen my heart. I'm going to be sappy as all hell here because I want you to know how much I love you. You are my sun, my moon, my stars. I can't imagine a day of my life without you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you with everything I am. Thank you for being my companion. My best friend. Thank you for being patient and kind, and helping me find myself. I want you to know that you are everything to me. I can't tell you how much I love you. I would tell you a hundred times and it wouldn't be enough. I could shout it from the rooftops and it would never be enough. You are my rock. Through everything you've always been there. We've had some arguments in the past, but we are so much more than that. We survived. I love you. I miss you every second we're apart. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get home to you. I can't wait to be by your side again, to kiss you and cuddle you and never, ever let you go, _ever_ again. I love you, Owen. Stay strong."

The crowd applauded as Dyna's buzzer rang. Piccolo took their hand and held it up high.

"Everyone, Dyna Hoalburn!" They applauded until Dyna was in their seat, sitting next to Nerio. "Next up, everyone please welcome, Joule Barode!"

Joule looked nervous as he walked up to the stage. He was wearing a light gray suit, clean, mature, and simple. His tie was black, with blue and yellow thunderbolts all over it, matching Dyna's and calling back to their chariot outfits.

"Welcome Joule! Please have a seat!" Joule shook Piccolo's hand and sat across from him.

"Thank you for the warm welcome," Joule said. He was playing a cool, collected angle. It almost seemed like he was trying to seem more mature than the others, by the way he sat with perfect posture. It was as if he had been taught by the most pretentious fuck in the Capitol.

"So, tell us a bit about your life back home!"

Joule bit his lip. "Well, my father's the best. He always used to play with me and my brother, Surge."

"Oh, how old is he?"

"Sixteen. Not too much younger. He's really energetic, though, and kind of a wild child still. I matured out of that a while ago. I have a couple friends, I'm close to my coworker Watt. I also have Taigo, a good friend who I lost contact with. And…" He bit his lip, as if he was not sure whether or not he wanted to continue. Dyna couldn't help nitpicking his interview after everything that had happened.

"And?"

Joule shook his head. "Never mind. That's basically it." That wasn't it, of course. Dyna figured it was his fiancé that he refused to mention.

"Alright then! So, why don't you tell us about your relationship with Nerio? Tell us everything!" The crowd started to cheer at that.

"It… Was a mistake. I was… Caught up in the moment. I don't regret anything more, I really don't. I was wrong. I was so wrong. I… I messed everything up. It's all my fault." He hung his head.

"Well, I'm sure we've all been there before. Wake up wondering, _'what was I thinking?!'_ Am I right?"

The crowd laughed and gave its assent.

"No… That's not it…" Joule bit his lip. "I have a fiancé. Back home." The crowd went silent immediately, practically holding their breath at this news. "I did her wrong. I made the biggest mistake of my life. But I want to learn from my mistakes and grow from them, like an adult. I won't do anything like that again. I've learned my lesson. I will work to improve my self-control."

Piccolo looked slightly shocked himself. He asked a couple more questions, trying to get the interview on a brighter note.

"So… Is there anything heartfelt you want to say?"

Joule took the microphone. "Rilah. I'm… I'm so sorry. I made the biggest mistake of my life. I promise that if- when I get home… When I get home, I'll explain everything. I want to make things right. I understand that you're hurt and upset. It's all my fault, I made a mistake. I am so, so sorry. I just hope that someday you'll consider seeing me again when I get home. I want to make things right. I want to talk to you about it. I'm so sorry. I've made a mistake. But I still love you with all my heart."

The crowd gave murmurs of empathy as his buzzer rang and Piccolo presented him to the crowd one last time before he sat next to Dyna.

"Next up, the creative communicator, everyone give a warm welcome to Desiree Menghiasi!" The audience gave her a fair amount of applause as she took the stage, smiling slightly and putting up a hand in a wave.

She was wearing a ballgown with an orange silky bodice with a sweetheart neckline and a poofy skirt with different pieces of orange and yellow tulle fabric, like a blooming flower. Her make-up was done very vibrantly, with bright yellow eye shadow on her dark skin, orange eyeliner, and glossy red lips like she had for her chariot ride.

"Welcome Desiree!" Piccolo said, guiding her to sit. "We're so glad to have you!"

She just nodded in response. Dyna wasn't sure what angle she would try to play, but this was the last one they expected from her. Granted, she was pretty quiet in training, only communicating through sign language and other gestures to her ally Persei.

"So, Desiree, you're among the youngest of our tributes. What sets you apart?"

Desiree just gave a shy shrug. "'m determined," she mumbled quietly.

"Determination is a very good thing to have! So, I'd say if you're determined, you probably have a lot waiting for you at home! Can you tell us about them?"

Desiree shrugged again. "Grandparents. Johann, my older brother. Really creative. Aimee. Really, really creative and fun to be around."

"Oh, how nice! So your creativity comes from your family! How about your parents?"

Desiree seemed pretty out of her element here. The interview was pretty hard to watch, it was so awkward. Piccolo was really trying to get Desiree to open up, but it wasn't getting anywhere. "Mom is dead. Dad…" she shrugged again.

"Oh. Well, you're an artist, correct? When did you get interested in drawing?"

"Early on."

"So you've been doing it for a very long time. What are some of your favorite things to draw?"

She shrugged again. Dyna wanted to yell to her. This was her one chance to impress the Capitol, and after her score of two, she should be trying extra hard. It was just so hard to see the interview go like this. Of course, there was always an interview or two that went like this. It was just so sad to watch.

"You seem to have a really strong ally in Persei. You guys will definitely be a great team, don't you guys agree?!" The crowd started to applaud, and Dyna began to hope that maybe this could be turned around somehow. Desiree just nodded, though. Piccolo spent at least another minute trying to get her to say something, but to no avail.

"Is there anything heartfelt you'd like to say?"

Desiree just shrugged again, but mumbled. "I love you. And I'll never _stop_ sign." That got her to laugh, but the crowd, including Dyna, was left largely confused as her buzzer rang and Piccolo presented her to the crowd one last time.

"Now everyone, please welcome the ever-so charming Riggs Fidler!"

The District Six boy walked out on the stage, a charming smile on his face as he waved at the crowd. They cheered for him loudly, and he seemed to feast on that, his grin widening. He was wearing a black, white, and gray argyle sweater vest over a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a bright red tie, with dark gray slacks and shiny gray shoes.

"Welcome Riggs!" Piccolo said. Riggs took the interviewer's hand and kissed it, causing Piccolo to giggle and his cheeks to go pink. "Please, have a seat!" Riggs sat across from him.

"Thank you, it's great to be here!" Riggs said, his confident smirk never wavering.

"So, Riggs, what was the best meal you've had since being here?" Piccolo asked.

"Woah woah woah, starting right off the bat with the tough questions!" Riggs said, and the crowd burst out laughing. "Take it easy on me here, Piccolo!" The crowd was roaring with laughter, which cause Riggs's grin to widen.

"I wanted to give you challenge to start!" Piccolo teased back, "See if you could handle it."

"Well, I definitely can. Mashed potatoes."

The crowd laughed at that, including Piccolo. "I see, I see! So, there are quite a number of volunteers this year, and trained tributes. What sets you apart from them?"

Riggs grinned. "Do I even need to answer that? Just look at me!" He gave the camera a sly grin and a wink, which caused the crowd to scream and clap and whistle. "See?"

Piccolo giggled again. "Yes, I definitely do see. So, we haven't seen you interacting much with the other tributes. Care to tell us about that?"

"None of them have really caught my fancy." Piccolo and the rest of the audience pouted at that, so he continued. "Oh, but someone has."

"Really? Well, who's the lucky duck?! You have to tell us!"

Riggs grinned. "I think he knows who he is. Let's just say, I really hope I can be a mentor's pet."

The crowd went fucking nuts. That was no understatement. There was shouting and whooping and whistling, stomping feet. The floor under Dyna was shaking, and the tributes around them, all except Desiree, were exchanging questioning looks.

"Someone's crushing on his mentor!" Piccolo said in a sing-songey voice, and the crowd roared. The cameras found Gian, who was rolling his eyes, but biting his lip, maybe to keep from smiling.

Piccolo badgered him for information about his relationship with Gian for a while, but Riggs wasn't cracking on much more than his little hint. When the crowd calmed down, he talked a bit about his family and friends back home before the end of the interview.

"So, Riggs, is there anything you want to say to someone special?"

Riggs nodded, grinning widely and still using his booming theatrical voice. "Gian, thanks for putting up with my bullshit! I hope you'll continue to put up with my bullshit for a long time after I'm out of that Arena! You're the hottest thing I've ever seen and I will always want to call you mine, always. I will do whatever I can to impress you and show you that you can trust me! I'll be your knight in shining armor, baby! You just have to trust me!"

The cameras showed Gian, who was smiling slightly and put a hand up in acknowledgment. The crowd roared as Riggs's buzzer rang and he waved to the crowd, strutting off the stage and sitting next to Desiree, still smirking.

 _Halfway done with interviews_ , Dyna thought. _Twelve down, twelve to go._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Wow, halfway through interviews! I'm so sorry it got long. I tried to restrain myself but that didn't go so well. It never, ever does XD**_

 _ **So, I hope you liked the first half of the interviews! I wanted to give each of the POVs close to 1000 words of plot for themselves because I felt bad that they'd have to spend the rest of the time narrating everyone else. I hope I did well with the characters and that you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **I've been posting stuff on the blog and am hoping to get some more of the drawings done soon. I don't think I have any other big announcements for this story. I think the only thing I'll say is that I am going to try to have this story in the Arena by the beginning of the school year, but I might take a break between the pre-Games and the Arena if not everyone is caught up, because I understand it's a lot to read and some people are busier and need more time to catch up. I don't want to kill tributes whose submitters just haven't had time to catch up, after all. We'll see what happens as we get closer to that goal though.**_

 _ **Also, there are only five chapters left till the Games! But they're all going to be monster chapters probably and there is plenty of plot to be had before we hit the Arena. Part two of interviews should come soon I hope and will be narrated by Jasper and Miya!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Which of these interviews were your favorites and why?**_


	27. Jasper & Miya: Interviews II

-Jasper Pearce, 18, District 9-

Jasper fidgeted with his fingers nervously while he waited for his turn. There were still multiple Districts left to go before his, but he was still nervous. He had to pretend to love June again, when the last thing he wanted was to never see her face again.

Most of the break-ups Jasper had seen were lucky.

Yes, most of the break-ups Jasper had seen could never see each other again. Even in class, passing on the street, they could pretend the other didn't exist. They were fucking lucky that they could get over it like that, just never see each other again, pretend that they'd never met and that no hearts had ever been broken. Now, though, Jasper was forced to be face-to-face with the person that hurt him. He was forced to watch how she had picked herself up on her own two feet and moved on. He had to watch the person who had ruined his trust, the person who had broken his heart, the person that had done him wrong, be happy and successful and be okay, while he was still totally depressed, down in the dumps. He missed her, he missed her sorely, so every time he saw her laugh, smile, without him was pain.

He just wanted things to be back how they were. God, he wanted things to be back how they were. He wanted to rewind time with the swipe of his finger, back to when he and June were happy, back when everything had been figured out, back to when their relationship was his biggest joy. But he knew, in the deepest part of his heart, that it would never be the same. Even if he forgave her, if he had the _audacity_ to forgive someone who had caused him _so much goddamn pain_. If he had the goddamn audacity to forgive the person that caused him to hesitate to trust anyone. If he had the goddamn audacity to forgive the girl that wasn't even fucking _sorry_ for what she did. Even if he forgave her, it would never be the same between them. Not after everything they'd been through. It just wouldn't be the same. There would always be that black vein of poison between them.

And, to make everything worse, of course they're pretending to get back together. It's so hard when it's not real. It's so hard when the person he never wants to see again is still there, always still there. It was so hard, he had to be face-to-face with the person that broke his fucking _heart_ , and he had to hold her close like he used to, brush her hair away from her eyes, kiss her nose, just like he used to. Now, though, it meant nothing. His heart was empty. He wanted nothing more than the act to be true, a love unbroken by the pain of cheating, lying, deceiving, but it would never be true.

Most of the break-ups Jasper had seen were lucky. They got to push the pain aside, push the demons back to the shadows. They got to pretend it never happened, rip up all the pictures, get rid of any proof that they were ever together.

But because Jasper wanted to live, because he wanted to please his mentor, he had to face it all head-on. It was hard. God, it was hard. Especially because she so obviously didn't care if they ever made up for real. Jasper just had no idea how the hell he was supposed to just pretend that didn't happen to him.

During the day, he kept that smile on. He was the same jokester, he played games, he made people laugh and roll their eyes. He was a beacon of positivity, energy, encouragement. But, when everyone left, he wanted to hide under the covers and never come out. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. At least that would mean less pain for him, right? He didn't want to die, it wasn't so bad he was suicidal. It was more like… He wished he could sleep the pain away. But nothing would make it go away.

She wanted to take the act further than he did. It was a stretch for him to hold her, and she wanted to go all the way with sex. He had no idea how the hell she could do that to him like that, especially after everything she'd done to him. It just made him so upset to think about. He refused to even pretend to sleep with her. He couldn't control everything, but that was his boundary, and he wasn't going to let it fall.

Jasper just watched the interviews come quietly.

"Next up, please welcome Little Red, Persei Holloway!" the crowd cheered for Persei as she stepped out on the stage. She was wearing a flowing dress with a dark red bodice and a gauzy skirt that was shorter in the front and longer in the back. With it, she wore a pair of black boots. Her hair was put up in a high ponytail, her make-up mature with dark red lips and eyes framed in red eyeshadow and black eyeliner. She waved to the crowd before sitting next to Piccolo.

"Welcome Persei!"

"Thank you Piccolo," she said with a small smirk.

"Welcome to the Capitol! How have you enjoyed your stay so far?"

"Oh, it's been wonderful," Persei said with a charming smile. "I've had a great time here."

"What's your favorite part?"

"Hm… Well, I love the glimpses I've gotten of the city. I grew up in the woods practically, y'know, so seeing the city is totally different for me. It's absolutely beautiful."

"Oh, I see! Have you seen it from the top of the Tribute Building? I got to go up there before you all arrived."

"Yeah, I did. It's so pretty at night."

"Well, you'll get to see even more of the city tomorrow night!" the crowd roared with applause. "Are you all excited for the party tomorrow!?" The applause got loud. "How about you, Persei? Starting to get excited?"

"Of course," she said. "It's bound to be fun."

"Great! So, tell us, you're among the youngest of the tributes, but you're obviously not one to count out. What sets you apart?"

Persei smirks, sitting up straighter. "I have skills. I know how to work with an axe and am really good at climbing, so you can bet that I'll get the higher ground on all the other tributes. I'm a fighter and used my time at training to learn as much as I can." The crowd applauded at that.

Jasper remembered talking to Persei at training. He'd talked to all of his fellow tributes, and she had been one of the coldest of the bunch.

"So, you're part of a power duo with Desiree, right? But you've also been talking to Ollie from Eleven! Tell us about that!"

"There's not much to say," Persei said, her confidence faltering slightly.

"You and Persei make quite the team! Is it possible that we'll see you two together at the party, eh?" Piccolo bounces his eyebrows at her.

"Me and Desiree? Oh, no. I'm only attracted to guys." The crowd seems half-disappointed, half elated. Probably some kind of, in Prentice's odd words, _shipping war._ Piccolo asks some more questions, some about Persei's home and some about her interactions with Ollie before the last question.

"So, let's just say that you had a special guy, somewhere out there. Is there anything you'd say to him?"

Persei bit her lip. "I'd say… I had a lot of fun with you." The crowd is slightly disappointed, but applauds anyways as her buzzer rings and Piccolo presents her one last time.

"Everyone, Persei Holloway! Next up, the guy that leaves everyone wanting syca- _more_ , please give a warm welcome to Syca Gallen!"

Even Jasper laughs at the pun as the boy from Seven takes the stage. He's wearing a golden suit with a white shirt underneath and a black tie. He looked very tense and nervous, but waved to the crowd and smiled the best he could. His hair was pulled back into a short ponytail.

"Welcome Syca!"

He looked out at the crowd, his face flushing slightly as he smiled and said, "Thanks!"

"You look wonderful tonight!"

Syca's smile grew slightly. "Oh, um, thanks!"

"So, Syca, let us in! What's happening in your mind right now?"

"Well, this is definitely a big time rush. My heart is pounding right now!"

"Yeah, tonight's certainly a big night for you! And we're definitely gonna have a good time!"

"Exactly! It's like… The city is ours, y'know? It's great, I love it!"

Piccolo grinned. "Exactly! So, do you like being famous?"

"Oh yeah!" The crowd applauded in response.

"Alright, alright, in all seriousness. What's waiting back home for Syca? You said you were looking for your sister in the crowd when you were reaped? What's she like?"

"Her name is Camellia. She's one year older than me, sixteen. But she's my best friend. She just gets me, y'know? More than anyone else."

"Oh, how sweet! I definitely understand where you're coming from, my sister's also my best friend!" The crowd applauds loudly at that. "So, tell us about your relationships with your fellow tributes. You've spent a lot of time with Daria."

"Daria's pretty nice," he said. "She isn't really the one I've noticed, though…"

"Oo, who have you noticed then?" Piccolo asked, as the crowd said, "Oooo!"

Syca blushed. "Persei," he said, grinning bashfully. The crowd cheered at that, interested for sure.

"What made you notice her?"

"Everything. Being around her is like… Confetti falling. I'd be any kind of guy for her, I'm thinking about her worldwide. She's such a great girl, I'm glad that we were District partners." The crowd applauds and cheers, some of them whistling. Syca's bright red by now, flustered and embarrassed. The crowd seems to find this cute, though.

"Have you told her?" Piccolo asked, his voice quieter and gentler than before.

"No, but… I think the message is clear."

"Maybe you're the one! You never know!"

Syca looked like he didn't believe it. "Maybe. And if not, I'll just have to do anything that I have to till I forget about her."

"I wish you the best."

Piccolo asked a few questions about Syca's family and friends back home and his relationship with Daria before the final question.

"So, if you could say something to someone, what would it be?"

Syca swallowed hard. "Persei, I'm sorry for making this awkward in front of the whole nation. I just admire you a bunch. Even if you don't feel the same way about me, I'd love to be your ally, even your friend. I don't want to keep you guessing, I just always end up getting stuck. I guess I'm just taking a shot in the dark to be where you are."

His buzzer rang and Piccolo presented him to the crowd one last time. "Everyone, Syca Gallen! Next up, please put your hands together from the dazzling journalist, here's Ester Perliam!"

The girl from District Eight turned around, blowing a kiss to Attila from Ten and squeezing her District partner on the shoulder before she strutted out on the stage.

"Welcome Ester!"

"Thank you so much!" the girl said, twirling around in her dress. It was navy and satin with short sleeves and a somewhat vintage style. She had a golden choker necklace around her neck. Her lips were painted gold, contrasting beautifully with her dark skin, with sparkling eyeshadow that made her look lavish.

"It's so nice to see you!"

"Piccolo, it's nice to see you too!"

"So, tell me Ester. How did a lowly girl from District Eight make it into the almighty Career alliance?"

Ester smiled slyly. "I may not seem like the type, but I know a lot. Back home I was the head of the gossip section of our school paper, and that's taught me a tremendous amount about reading people. I know how to play the game, and my strategy will be a big help to the alliance. I also got lucky enough to become close friends with Attila, and together with the rest of the Careers we're going to cause major damage to anyone that stands in our way!" The crowd applauded uproariously at that, and Ester smiled in her typical bubbly way.

"Well, I think you're on your way to Victory there! Great to see! So, you say you've become close with Attila. Is there something more than friendship going on there?"

Ester gave a small giggle. "I don't know, maybe… I guess we'll have to wait to see what happens during the party. I do love to dance!"

"Well, we all hope you can get him out on the floor!" The crowd screamed and clapped at that. Ester really knew how to play them, that was for sure.

"So, tell us about your life back home. What kind of things did you like to do?"

"Well, writing for the paper for sure. The Shoemaker Chronicle is my home. In a way, it's kind of like my baby. I mean, my friends and I were really the ones to breathe new life into it. It was drab, but now it's fab! I have a talent for that, you see." She flipped her hair, and the audience went wild. Jasper wasn't sure how her District partner was going to one-up this.

"Anything else?"

"Driving!" Ester said cheerfully.

"Driving?" Piccolo said. "That's new! Very rarely do we find a District tribute that likes to drive. And one from Eight, of all places. Tell us more!"

"I come from a very fortunate, Capitol-respecting family, you see. My father is one of the few people in the District that is any good behind the wheel, and he works as a clothing distributor, often delivering materials to the factories and taking the fabric places. And, now that I'm starting to become older and wiser, he's been teaching me some of the tips and tricks. I haven't done a whole lot of long-distance driving, or any bad-weather driving, but I love it when I can drive, even if it's just for a little bit!"

The crowd applauds at that. Jasper wasn't expecting Ester to go for the patriot angle, but it was working remarkably for it. Piccolo asks her a few more questions about her family and friends and her work for the Shoemaker Chronicle before the final question.

"So, if you could say something heartfelt to someone, what would it be?"

"I'd say… You're gonna be mine someday, whether you know it or not!" she gave the cameras a wink. A few seconds later, her buzzer rang.

"Give it up for Ester Perliam!" The girl was beaming as she left the stage to take a seat. "Next up, her charming District partner, please welcome Mr. Semper Celandine!"

The crowd applauded for the boy as he gave one last nervous glance behind him and walked out. He was wearing a white shirt, gold vest and a black bowtie. He had a wavering smile on his face as he put up a hand to wave to the crowd.

"Welcome Semper!" Piccolo said, shaking his hand and guiding him to sit down. "It's so good to see you!"

Semper was quivering slightly as he looked out at the crowd. He didn't respond to Piccolo's initial greeting, so the interviewer reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's overwhelming, isn't it? You're doing fine. Focus on me and the crowd will go away, I promise."

Semper tore his eyes away from the crowd, back to Piccolo.

"Thanks," he said. The crowd didn't seem sure if they should find this endearing or just strange.

"So, Semper, have you been up to the game room in the tribute building?"

"Yeah, I looked around."

"Did you get to play anything?"

"No, I went alone."

"Oh, that's a shame! Maybe tonight another tribute will meet you there!" The crowd applauded at that. Jasper thought their hands must be hurting like none other, they've been clapping so much. Not to mention the screaming. Surely nobody was going to have any voice left for whatever crazy party was going to happen. Maybe that was for the better, though.

"Maybe."

"So, which of the other tributes have you interacted with?" Piccolo was starting with easy questions, one or two word answers, and probably planning to get more complex from there. Jasper thought he could have been an interviewer, if he was from the Capitol. After all, he was loud, annoying, obnoxious, devilishly handsome, and theatrical. He checked off all the boxes. Too bad he was from District Nine.

"Ashlyn. She's my ally."

"We saw some of that! It was definitely an unexpected pairing. Can you tell us why you allied with her?"

Semper shrugged. "It doesn't seem like it, but we're a lot alike, her and I. We've both had some struggles and we seem to understand each other. Aspen and Alfie are probably friends, I bet."

"Well, as unlikely as it is, I'm glad you found someone who is on your same wavelength. So, might you have other feelings for Ashlyn, or perhaps another tribute?"

"I don't think so."

Piccolo fake-pouted. "No fun! Come on, there has to be someone!"

Semper shrugged. "Not really." For once, Jasper actually believed the kid. He didn't seem like he was trying to hide anything. Maybe none of these tributes are his type.

"Aw! Why not?"

"I've always had trouble separating romantic feelings from platonic, and I guess I've just been really focused."

"Well, maybe that will change with time, once you have time to sort things out!" Piccolo said, and the crowd gave its assent with more clapping and cheers. Piccolo asked Semper a bit about his home, about his strategy with Ashlyn, and about his relationship with the other fifteen-year-olds before the final question.

"Alright, alright, I know that you aren't feeling it for anyone yet, but maybe you could still give a heartfelt shout-out to someone?"

Semper thought. "To my family. I miss you and I'm going to try to get back home. And to… You know who you are. I'm sorry for breaking your heart. I didn't mean to play games with you, but I was immature and probably led you on. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." His buzzer rang and Piccolo presented him to the crowd. "Everyone, Semper Celandine!"

Jasper took a deep breath. Only one more interview until it was his turn. And it was with… Her.

"Next up, everyone give it up for the absolutely stunning beauty, Miss Juuuuune Fisher!"

June strutted out on the stage. She was wearing a strapless dress with a silky red bodice, decorated with roses on the right side of the neckline, with a red silk skirt below a layer of black tulle. Her hair wasn't put up as it was too short, but laid perfectly, glossy and straight, just as asymmetrical as ever. She looked beautiful. It made Jasper sick with envy, heartbreak, who knew what emotion? He wished things were back to how they were so he could tell her how beautiful she looked, but it would never be. Her eyes were decorated with red metallic eyeshadow and dark black eyeliner with dramatic wings. And, her lips, of course, were bold, bright, shiny, glossy, just-asking-to-be-kissed-and-leave-marks-over-your-neck red.

"Welcome June! It's so lovely to see you!"

"Thanks Piccolo," she said. "It's lovely to be here."

"So, I think there are plenty of questions to be asked! I'll start this: how did you and Jasper meet, back home?"

June just smiled and shrugged. "The same way any District teenagers meet. In school. We live close together so we were in a lot of the same classes growing up."

"Ah, I see. So, who asked who out the first time around?"

"I did. Jasp acts big and brassy, but I _am_ big and brassy. We were both crushing on each other for a while, so I just took the plunge and asked him out."

The Capitol applauded. "We here at the Capitol do love our powerful women! So, not to bring down the mood, but would you tell us why the two of you broke up the first time?"

Jasper could feel his heart pounding as he watched the screen. He knew what she would say, he had prepared himself for it.

"We were both overwhelmed with life and work and just thought maybe a break would set our minds straight."

Hearing the lie come from her lips hurt him tremendously more than he had expected. He'd only heard the story from Prentice or Vale, but hearing her say it stung. Knowing that she was going to get away with hurting him and nobody would ever know, nobody would ever see her for who she really was, that was really hard.

Yeah, he could expose her. He could get up on that stage and tell everyone how she fucking hurt him, how she is at fault, she's a cheater, she's a liar. He could tell them all, turn them against her, shut her out. But the truth was that Jasper still fucking _loved_ her. He hated himself for loving her. God, he hated it. He hated himself for being such a fucking idiot that he would still love the person who did this to him.

He knew that he shouldn't. He knew that he should hate her, he should close himself up and turn away from her, but the truth was that _he still loved her_. They had spent three years together and she was his forever. There was so long that he couldn't imagine ending up with anyone else. First love dies hard, and Jasper was feeling that. He hated it, but he couldn't control it. Sometimes he found himself close to forgiving her, just to try and make things what they were before. Even though she didn't seem sorry. He hated himself for that. How could he be that pathetic and weak? How had she gotten so much control over him, that even after cheating on him she could still play his heart with her dainty little fingers? God. What an idiot. He had to swallow a lump in his throat to keep from crying right there, and that made him mad.

"Then you were reaped," Piccolo said. "What after that?"

"We just decided that… It was a mistake for us to be apart." June smiled. Her acting was so on-point, of course. "We realized it too late. Now, when we're doomed to death." The crowd cooed in sympathy. "But we're going to make the most of it. District Nine is a team this year." The cooing soon turned into roaring applause.

Piccolo soon got off of the topic of Jasper, asking June some more about her home, but Jasper was still hearing her words over and over again in his head. It wasn't fair. He should expose her, he should just expose her cheating ass!

"So, is there anything heartfelt you have to say to… Anyone in particular?"

Jasper didn't want to hear it. He was too afraid he would burst out into tears, or shouting. He held his place.

"Of course. Jasper, I'm sorry it took both of us being here to come to our senses. I never should have let you go." Jasper clenched his fists. _It's just an act_. "You're my best friend, always have been and always will be. We're going to cause so much trouble for those other tributes, I promise it." Her voice got quieter. "I love you so much."

It took everything in him not to run. He was next. He had to get it together.

"Are you alright?" He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Miya. "You seem a bit tense."

 _I should just expose her I should expose her I should expose her, then I can separate from her, pretend she doesn't exist, kill her, win the Games, I could separate from her, I could ignore her and the pain I should just expose her-_

Jasper gave a typical, goofy, carefree smile, hiding his darkness. "Of course. Just a bit nervous."

On stage, Piccolo was saying, "Next up, her handsome beau, everyone give a warm welcome to Jasper Pearce!"

"Good luck," Miya said quietly, as Jasper shook off his emotions and walked out on the stage.

Just like always.

The applause was only slightly deafening. Jasper adjusted the red suitcoat, which was accented with black on the shoulders and collar. He had a white dress shirt underneath with a red tie. His outfit was complementary to hers. His hair was styled out of his face with gel, and he just kept that smile on.

"Welcome Jasper!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Being on stage was definitely different from watching on stage. Piccolo sat and Jasper took a seat across from him.

"So, think you can follow your spunky District partner?" Piccolo asked. Up close, he looked even less real. With eyes two different colors, one pink and one blue, and unnaturally colored hair, the strong smell of some Capitolite cologne radiating off of him, Jasper felt slightly overwhelmed. He just shook it off, though, leaning back in his chair to appear comfortable.

"Of course I can!" he said, in that teasing tone he always uses to make jokes. "I'll have you know that I'm the most charming, attractive Prince Charming here," he said, "Can't you see how all the other tributes are quivering in fear of me?" He wasn't serious, of course, and the crowd knew it. They laughed, but some of them cheered. Of course he didn't believe he was the best tribute here. But he had to keep the mood up, and cracking jokes at his own expense was the best way to do that. Plus, any time he spent not talking about her was always good.

Piccolo laughed too. "Well, you definitely have the crowd up on their feet!"

"Damn right I do!" Jasper realized too late that he probably shouldn't have sworn, but the crowd loved it. When Jasper threw up his arms, the cheering only got louder. That got him to smile, for real. It was a pretty good feeling.

Piccolo laughed and handed him the mic. "There you go, my job is done here, there's a new sheriff in town, you take it from here." He got up and started to walk off the stage, as the crowd howled with laugher. Before he fully left, he came back and sat back down.

"You've done a wonderful job," Jasper said. Flattering the Capitol was always a plus.

"So, tell us about your relationship with June!"

"Hm?"

"Well, every story has more than one side."

 _I should expose her I should expose her then I can get rid of her then the demon will go back to the shadows I can be free from this pain and sorrow and shame I should expose her-_

"Well, she told the story how it is." He bit his lip.

"Hm. I see! Well then, you're back together and better than ever! Aren't the Games amazing!?" The crowd screamed at the top of their lungs, applauded, stomped their feet, the floor under Jasper shook, and he felt like he could have thrown up if he wasn't in front of the entire nation.

"Yes," he said, "They are." It was so painful. But it was what he had to do.

"So, tell us about your family and friends back home!"

"My father's alright. We don't talk too much anymore, though. We didn't have the best relationship before my mother died, and after it happened it just stayed the same. As for friends, my best friend is Trevor. He knows everything about me. And, of course, Emma, the girl I babysit. Basically my little sister. She's the best."

"Oh, that's so sweet!"

Jasper was grinning at thinking about them. They were his foundation and support, and he missed them so much. He wanted to be back home so he could hang with Trevor and play with Emma again.

"So, Jasper, we have a surprise for you!"

"A… Surprise?" He had no idea this was coming. Probably why it was a surprise.

"That's right. We have some never-before-seen footage that we thought you might want to see before this goes any further."

Jasper blinked in confusion. _What?_

The screen lit up with the Capitol symbol and then showed a dimly lit bedroom from the Training Center. When there was a knock on the door, the camera zoomed in on Jasper's mentor, who was going to answer it. Prentice slept shirtless, and that was exactly how June saw him when he opened the door.

"June?" he sounded confused.

"Hi," she said. "Can I talk to you?"

"Um, sure." He let her in. "You can sit if you want." He gestured to the bed. She sat on the foot of it and she sat beside him. The footage faded out after that.

"Did you know June was strategizing with your mentor?" Piccolo asked. Jasper was shocked. He was really starting to hate the Capitol cameras. They could take anything and use it to stir up drama.

"No." His mind was still buzzing with thoughts.

"Is it possible that she might be seeing Prentice?"

Jasper could only think one thing. _Expose expose expose she hurt me she deserves for everyone to know she deserves what she gets let her suffer the consequences then you'll never have to coexist with her again and you'll be able to move on, really fucking move on, you won't be so mad all the time-_

He took a deep breath. "Nope." He kept smiling. _I don't want her to suffer like that. I don't want her to lose everything. Even if she deserves it._ "I know June." He had to fight to keep the smile, the boom in his voice, the glint in his eye. "She's the most trustworthy person I know. She would never cheat on me." God, the irony burned like a red hot iron pressing against his heart. "Not June." He hated himself. He had the perfect opportunity and he let it slip through his fingers, for _her_ sake! He wanted to throw up. He felt like he was going to throw up. He kept smiling.

"Well, it's great that you have a relationship that strong! Is there anything you'd like to say to her?"

Jasper didn't want to say anything else. Luckily, his timer buzzed before he could answer.

"Oh, man, the timing was just off on that. Well, I guess we'll have to hear it at the party. Everyone, Jasper Pearce!" The crowd cheered and applauded, but the only thing Jasper noticed was the red and black blur of June running away from the tribute spots. As soon as Jasper was to the tribute seating area, he asked a Peacekeeper where the bathroom was. They pointed it out and he hurried there.

His arms and legs were shaking, that horrible feeling of tears filling his chest. He was moving so fast he caught up with June, who had paused in the lobby separating the men's and women's rooms. She was hunched over, and he could hear her crying. For a moment, his heart swelled with compassion. She looked so sad and pitiable there. Then it just made him angry. If any one of them should be allowed to be upset, it was him, dammit! She had just gotten a free pass. She would never have to explain to anyone that she fucked up. Jasper was being quiet about it to save her goddamn feelings, after all.

She looked up, the black looking more like a raccoon mask than eyeliner wings by now. "Jasper-"

"What?!" he didn't mean to shout it, but he couldn't exactly control the anger and grief that was filling his stomach, up to his chest like tar.

June drew back, tears pouring out of her eyes.

"What the hell is your issue, I fucking saved you out there!"

June scurried back, away from him, hitting her back on the wall and crouching into the corner. She looked so small. Like that, her eyes were filled with the fear of a child. The fear of Emma when she thought she heard a noise in the closet. Not the fire of June Fisher. Jasper froze. June ducked trying to get as far away from him as possible. "I know," she said, between sobs, burying her face in her hands. She looked up at him again, that same fear in her eyes, unlike Jasper had ever seen in her face before. "I'm so _so-rry_!" it burst out of her like a sob. She quickly turned and rushed into the bathroom.

Jasper was left in the lobby. His heart pounded. He had no idea what to say. He was just feeling so many emotions. He went into the men's room and splashed water on his face, still shaking. He was shocked, and confused, and stunned. What had just happened?

Before long, Prentice entered the bathroom, nothing but concern and guilt on his face.

"Hey, are you alright? Jasper, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off like that… It was just a strategy talk, and they took it and… And made it into that! God, I'm so stupid…"

"It's alright," Jasper said quietly, drying his face with a towel provided. As quickly as the emotions had hit him, they were sapped away into a desolate numbness. "It's not your fault."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Always." He checked himself in the mirror, readjusting his hair and taking a couple of deep breaths. "I'm ready to go back."

"Are you sure? You don't have to…"

"Yes, I'm sure." He stretched out his arms and took another deep breath before he left the bathroom, Prentice following. Vale was standing outside the women's room, concern written all over his face. With him was the only male member on June's prep team, leading Jasper to assume that the female members were in there redoing June's make-up and hair.

"Good luck," Prentice told Vale quietly as they passed.

Demetrius entered the lobby just then. _Leave it to him to be unceremoniously late to the party._

"Only I would get the pitiable luck of being stuck with _this_ shithole emotional trainwreck of a District," he sighed.

Jasper flipped him off as he and his mentor walked back to their spots.

* * *

-Miya Bellion, 18, District 10-

Miya didn't know what was taking so long to call her. There was only a small delay, but it felt like forever before Piccolo was announcing her name.

"Next up, please welcome our District Ten belle, Miya Bellion!" It was her turn, just like that.

She had to say that she felt pretty confident. She was wearing a stylish, knee-length burgundy dress with a flared skirt, an open back, and a cutout on the front to show off her figure. Her hair had been elegantly styled, her body perfectly waxed to fit the Capitol standards of beauty. Her eyes had red eyeshadow and silver liner that popped on her dark skin. She felt pretty, and she knew that she could play her looks up to the crowd. She had asked Charlemagne, her escort, to help her with her social skills, so she could get the crowd behind her but remain polite and civilized, even by Capitol standards. Charlemagne was more than willing, excited even, to help his tribute out. He had given her plenty of really good advice preparing her for the interview. Now was the time to shine. It was her moment.

She strutted out to the stage, putting on her most dazzling smile and waving to the crowd. She loved how her hair bounced when she walked, curled perfectly with not a hair out of piece. She waved easily to the crowd, keeping the smile on her face.

 _Pretend you're talking to someone you love,_ Charlemagne had said.

 _Just like it's Liam_ , _or Serrah, or Oliver_ , Miya thought to herself, as she gave Piccolo a smile and shook his hand. _Nice and easy._

"Welcome Miya!"

Miya kept the smile on her face as best as she could. "Thanks," she said politely.

 _Sit up straight and tall. Smile. Just like you're talking with friends._ It was much easier said than done, that was for sure.

"So , Miya, what's going through your mind right now? You're surrounded by quite the crowd!"

"It's easy to be intimidated with so many eyes on me, that's for sure," Miya said. Luckily, this had been one of the practice questions Charlemagne had given her, so she was prepared to answer it. "But I've never been one to back down from a challenge, and I'm not going to start tonight!" The crowd applauded, and Miya's smile turned more real.

Charlemagne's final, universal piece of advice was this: _"In the end, if you keep it positive, the crowd will be excited for you, even if they have no idea what they're cheering for."_ Miya could definitely do that, even if she wasn't sure about every detail.

"I think you've proven that!" Piccolo said, and the crowd kept applauding in agreement. "So, tell us a bit about your home! You were the only reaped tribute that's trained, correct?"

"Yes, I was lucky enough to get some training back home. My step-brother and I created a training center out of an old abandoned farm near our house. It's… It's far from a polished, clean, high-grade training center, but…" She shrugged. "I think it will definitely give me an edge in the Games."

"Well, if your training score has anything to say about it, I'd say that you're right!" The crowd applauded at that. "It's been a while since a reaped tribute scored on the same level as the Careers!" The crowd cheered to that, while Miya smiled and nodded.

"I'm not going to give up without a fight."

"I wouldn't expect you to!" Piccolo said. "After all, you are a Career! Tell us about some of your allies."

"Well, Luna's definitely taken the lead. I respect her for that and have confidence that she's going to lead us to victory. Dania's really nice too. I have a lot of respect for her. Ester is really smart, I have a feeling that she's going to have some pretty good leads on people. As for Attila, he's my District partner. I was shocked to see a volunteer from my District, but he's very capable."

"That seems to be well agreed-on! So, tell me Miya, is there one ally that maybe… Sticks out more than the others?"

The question threw her off guard. It probably shouldn't have, as she and Charlemagne had prepared for something like this. After all, it was a Quell where the whole twist was about romantic relationships. There was no reason it should have caught her but somehow, it did.

"Oh… No. Definitely not."

"Oh? Is that so?" Piccolo leaned in, an interested expression on his face.

"Mhm. I have a boyfriend back home." Roxanne told her not to mention him. Roxanne told her to pretend he didn't exist, to pretend he wasn't that to her. The crowds wouldn't like her if she had someone back home. But Roxanne didn't understand, probably because she had obviously never been in love. It wasn't fair of Miya to just forget he existed, to tell these people that she was single. He was so important to her, and she wasn't about to slight him. If someone like Dyna had the courage to put it out there, so could Miya. Besides, she didn't want to end up like Joule. Total cheater, caught red-handed. She loved Liam immensely and the last thing she wanted was for him to be hurt and humiliated like that.

"Oooo!" Piccolo said, and the crowd cheered. "Tell us about him! What's his name, what does he do, tell tell tell!"

"Well, my older sister Marlene works in the government as an overseer of trade for the District. Liam is a smartie like her, he met her studying finances and doing internships. She decided to introduce the two of us because she thought we could work together. We got together a little bit less than a year ago, and it's been really, really great."

The crowd cheered at that. Miya wasn't about to give a big heartfelt speech like Dyna did, though. It just wasn't her personality. Besides, unlike Dyna, who had dated Owen for years, Miya hadn't even been with Liam for one. So, while she was totally happy with him, she wasn't exactly ready to make any huge proclamations or commitments. It was still fairly casual between them.

"Well, he's very lucky to have you!" The crowd cheered in agreement at that.

"I'm lucky to have him," Miya said, smiling. That caused the crowd to say, "Aaaw!"

"So, you have him and you talked about your sister. Who else is waiting for you back home?"

"My Mom, of course. She's always looking out for me. I love my step-father very much. My biological father is dead, but he filled that gap and loved me so well. My step-brother Oliver is great. He and I work together training other kids at Ruckrage Farms. That's that abandoned farm we train in. Then there's my best friend Serrah. She's great. Nothing can get in the way of our relationship!"

"Well, I'm sure they'll see you very soon!"

Miya smiled. "I hope."

"So, if you could say something heartfelt to someone out there, what would it be?"

"Liam, I miss you a lot and can't wait to see you again when I get home. Love you." The crowd cheered as her buzzer rang. Piccolo took her hand and stood up, holding Miya's hand up. "Everyone, Miya Bellion!"

Miya realized as she walked to her seat in the audience that the two District Nine tributes aren't present. The gaping hole left by two chairs in between Semper and Miya was so grossly obvious.

"Next up, please welcome our volunteer from District Ten, Attila of the Windy Plains!"

Attila stepped out on the stage. He was wearing a tan dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off the tattoos covering his arms. He also wore a brown tie and brown slacks, with nice brown dress shoes. He was polite, but playing the tough angle.

"Welcome Attila!" Piccolo said enthusiastically, sitting down. He sat down as well, giving a nod of recognition.

"So, have you enjoyed your time in the Capitol so far?"

Attila nodded. He radiated power, playing the _quiet tough guy that doesn't answer with more than one word_ angle.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it! So, I think the first thing everyone noticed about you is that you volunteered! Did you know the boy who was reaped?" Attila shook his head. "So, you volunteered for the honor, right? District Ten's first trained, honor-seeking Career!" the crowd went crazy at that. Attila smirked, radiating confidence, and nodded. "Very admirable! We're so excited!" The crowd applauded and cheered. It really was easy to hype them all up. "So Attila, tell us, is there any tribute in particular that sticks out to you? Ehhhh?" Piccolo raised his eyebrow. Attila just shrugged. "Aw!" Piccolo and the crowd pouted. "There has to be someone?" Attila shook his head.

Miya honestly wasn't sure if he was being honest or not. He could just be a good liar, or maybe he was being totally honest. For someone so easily manipulated by Ester, he was surprisingly tough to figure out. He was simple and complex at the same time. He was understandable and totally confusing all at once. It was so strange. How could someone be so easy to read, yet so hard to figure out at the same time? Oh, the duality of humanity.

"Well, I guess we'll see if one of the four lovely ladies in your alliance manages to steal your heart!" The crowd applauded at that. Attila nodded.

"I think the second thing we all noticed was your tattoos!" Attila flexed his muscles and the crowd went absolutely wild. People were screaming, cheering, clapping, whistling, stomping their feet. "Do they have any particular meaning to you?" He shook his head. "Well I think we can all agree that they bring out your muscles!" The audience kept screaming and applauding.

Miya heard one woman shout, "TAKE ME NOW YOU PERFECT BEAST!" Just hearing that caused her to make a face. These people were either really sick or really drunk. Probably both. Piccolo asked a couple more questions about his home and family, but Attila didn't speak more than one-word answers.

Jasper came back and sat down next to Miya just as Piccolo asked the final question.

"So, Attila, is there anything special you'd like to say to someone?"

Attila just shrugged, so Piccolo had to fill the last few seconds of the interview with hope that he'd find someone soon. His buzzer rang and Piccolo presented him to the crowd one last time.

"Everyone, Attila of the Windy Plains!" The crowd clapped and cheered. "Next up, everyone give a warm homecoming welcome to our courageous Capitol beauty, Miss Daria Junius!"

Daria strutted on the stage, a wide smile spreading from ear to ear across her face. Her bright red hair was pulled into a perfect long braid down the side. Her face and body were flawless. Her eyes were framed in purple shadow with silver eyeliner wings. She was wearing fake eyelashes that had small butterflies attached to them. She was wearing a deep purple ballgown with a textured skirt. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline and silver gems all over it, that matched the silver choker with a small heart charm she was wearing around her neck. She looked amazing, of course, and the crowd absolutely adored her.

"Welcome Daria!" Piccolo said, taking her hand and spinning him around. The fifteen-year-old giggled, beaming widely as she twirled, the dress flying around with her.

"You look spectacular!" Piccolo said enthusiastically, and the crowd roared. The ground rumbled under Miya's feet.

"Thank you!" Daria said, looking bubbly. "I'm home!" she put up her hands, showing off her perfectly-done purple nails, the ring finger on each hand decorated with yellow butterflies.

"Welcome home!" Piccolo said happily. The crowd screamed and applauded in response. It was like a joyous celebration, a homecoming, completely ignoring the fact that she's going to go into a fight to the death. One of their very own was going to go into the Games. A fifteen-year-old, one of them, someone with dyed hair, flawless skin, a perfect spray-tan, no blemishes. A fifteen-year-old, one of them, was going to go into an Arena, where she was most likely going to die. They just didn't seem to understand that. It made Miya slightly sick to the stomach to think about. "We are so glad to have you here tonight!"

"Oh, Piccolo, this is a dream come true!" she beamed and twirled around again before sitting down. "I love the Hunger Games, I always grew up watching them on TV! I always pretended to be up on this stage, and now I'm up here for real!" she gushed.

"Well, I hope it's everything you imagined it would be!" Piccolo said. "So, I think we're all wondering how you got the incredible privilege of being here! Could you fill us in?"

"Well, my parents are both Peacekeepers in District Eleven. After the overruling of the rule that says Peacekeepers can't have relations while on the job, I was created!" she giggled. "And I was born in District Eleven. Then, we moved back to the Capitol. I grew up here. I grew up dreaming of being on this stage, just like many of you in the crowd!" More applause. "Then, my parents went back to District Eleven to serve on duty, and I went with them. Since I was born in District Eleven, my name went into the reaping bowl. I was chosen, and now I'm here!"

The crowd was applauding. They didn't understand. They wouldn't understand until she was covered in blood as red as her hair. Piccolo asked her plenty more questions, about growing up in the Capitol and going back to Eleven, her favorite Games, her strategy, and her relationships with the other fifteen-year-olds. She obviously had a crush, but wouldn't spill who it was.

"So, Daria, if you could say something to that special someone, what would it be?"

She took a deep breath. "I would say… I'm here, and I want to know you, hold you, build a relationship with you. All you have to do is let me in. Please… Please… Let me in."

The crowd let out a collective "Aaaw!" as her buzzer rang.

"Everyone, your Capitolite goddess, Daria Junius!" everyone applauded as she strutted off the stage, looking tiny as she took a seat next to Attila. June cut in to take her spot as Piccolo was announcing the next tribute.

"Next up, let's give a good old Capitol welcome to Ollie Kirk!"

The crowd applauded as the dark-skinned boy took the stage. He was wearing a lilac purple suit with a white dress shirt underneath and a purple tie that matched the shade of Daria's dress. He seemed slightly nervous as he walked on the stage.

"Welcome Ollie!" Piccolo said, shaking his hand before they both sat down.

"Thanks," he said, keeping that smile on, even though he seemed tense.

"So Ollie, what's your favorite part of the Capitol so far?"

"I'm not sure, there's so much to love!" the crowd applauded at that, and Ollie seemed to relax. "I really like the food, and the clothing, and the beds and the bathrooms, wow, I've never seen such a high-tech bathroom! I love the games, too, they're really fun!"

"Yes, we saw you having a great time with Persei on the games floor. What was your favorite game?"

"I liked the one with the stick and the balls." The audience burst out laughing at that, and Ollie's cheeks went pink. Miya could see Persei hiding a smile behind her hand out of the corner of her eye.

Piccolo flashed him a wide, amused smile. "You mean pool?"

"Yeah, I think that's what it was called."

"Did you win?"

"Yeah, I think I did!" Ollie grinned. "Persei was some stiff competition though."

"I'm sure she was! So, Persei left us with a vague little message back during her interview. Is it possible that her special someone could be you?"

Ollie blinked, in shock. "Oh, um, maybe. I mean, probably not, though. We just hung out that time and if anything, we're just friends." The audience seemed somewhat deflated, but Piccolo didn't let the energy go down too low. "Oh, so then is there someone else that sticks out to you more?" They were interested again in an instant.

"Well, I think I kind of have trouble separating platonic feelings from romantic, so this is all kind of a confusing challenge at the moment."

"Well, maybe you just haven't found the right person yet! Maybe someone will make you feel that little spark in your chest when your heart skips a beat, yeah?" Piccolo reached out and poked Ollie's chest, causing him to laugh and the crowd to cheer.

"Yeah, maybe."

"So, tell us a bit about what's waiting for you back home."

"Well, let's see. There's my Mom. She suffers from osteoporosis, so she has weak bones and can't work. We live with my Uncle Hemlock, and his husband Fennel. Fennel's a role model to me. He's so patient and he always answered all my questions back when I was trying to figure out my sexuality. And, how could I forget my sister Thia?! She's the best and always has my back." With the next sentence, Ollie's hands start to move, somewhat awkwardly. "And, my little cousin Calla. She's deaf, but I still love her so much." The crowd applauds wildly at that.

"Wait, you sign?! Woah, that's so cool! Like Desiree was signing at training! Could you pick up on anything she was saying?" Piccolo had nothing but admiration in his eyes as he beamed at Ollie expectantly.

"I caught a couple words, yeah."

The crowd cheered at that, Ollie's smiling widening.

"That's so cool!" Piccolo said. They asked about his friends and about the possibility of him having allies before the final question.

"Say that there was someone special. What would you say to them?"

"I'd say…" he bit his lip, his smile fading for a second before reappearing. "Show yourself already! I'd love to meet you!" That caused the crowd to laugh and clap as Ollie's buzzer rang.

"Everyone, Ollie Kirk!" the crowd went wild as he took his seat next to Daria. "Next up, please welcome District Twelve's Ashlyn Bayard!"

The girl stepped out on stage. Her hair was done up elegantly with red, yellow, and orange feathers sticking out of the style. She was wearing a simple black dress that swept across her ankles, the neckline cut to show off her cleavage. She had a pair of long white gloves on that went to her elbows. On her feet were a pair of black shoes with small heels, and the make-up around her eyes and lips was all white. The low-cut dress just showed the four parallel lines that were also on her face, now shown off in all their glory with her hair pulled up out of her face.

"Welcome Ashlyn!" Piccolo said, but she did not budge. Another toughie, it seemed. "Please, have a seat!"

Ashlyn did so, but seemed pretty reluctant about it. She was obviously not putting in any effort whatsoever to give a good interview. She wasn't sitting with good posture, her arms crossed over her chest and her legs crossed, not to mention the scowl on her face. She obviously wasn't even going to pretend to be happy to be there.

"So, what are your thoughts about the Capitol so far?"

Ashlyn just shrugged. Another mute interview, it seemed.

"It's pretty overwhelming, being in front of such a big crowd, isn't it? You're doing well, though, just relax and surely the nerves will disappear!" The crowd clapped encouragingly, but the applause soon died down when they realized that she wasn't nervous, not trying on purpose.

"I think we're all curious as to what caused your scars! Care to share what happened?"

Ashlyn crossed her arms tighter, immediately staring at the ground. "No."

"Alright, that's fine… How about you talk about your family back home?"

"No."

"You're allying with Semper, right?"

"Yes."

"Do you agree that you two are similar?"

There was a pause. "Yeah."

"Well then, you're bound to make a great team!" the crowd applauded half-heartedly. "Do you think you'll make it far together."

"Yeah."

"Well, that's good to hear! How about the other tributes? Is there a reason you decided to decline Kaelys's offer for an alliance?"

"Yes."

"What is that reason? Care to share?"

"No."

"Did you like her? You seemed to get along when you talked, no?"

A long pause. "Yeah." The crowd cheered. They really were so easy to please. It seemed the more time went on, the more drunk everyone got and the easier it was to hype them up. Piccolo asked some more yes or no questions that didn't give much insight into who Ashlyn was, but at least it was better than nothing. Soon, Ashlyn got tired of talking and just nodded or shook her head. Piccolo tried to make the best of it, but everyone, including Miya, was bored after a minute of the banter.

"So, Ashlyn, is there anything heartfelt you'd like to say to someone special?"

"No."

"Well, that's too bad. Hopefully you find someone that can appreciate you for the great person you are before you enter the Arena!" Piccolo started with the filler until her buzzer rang. "Everyone, Ashlyn Bayard!" the applause wasn't nearly as loud as it had been. "My goodness! We only have one interview left, can you believe it?! This night went by so, so fast!" the crowd gave its agreement. "Well, here we are, the last interview of the night. Please welcome Mister Jacques Noir!"

The crowd applauded as the fair-haired boy walked out on the stage. He was very calm, not living it up like many of the others. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit with a white tie, matching Ashlyn's black-with-white-accents look. Instead of hyping up or cheering with the crowd, he just put up a hand in acknowledgment.

"Welcome Jacques!"

"Thank you," he said, his voice calm and polite, with a slightly melancholic tone.

"So, how have you been enjoying the Capitol so far?!"

"It's been very nice," he said. "I've had a good time here."

"That's good to hear! So, Jacques, I hear you had a very interesting job back home, is that right?"

"To some people, I guess. To me, it's just as normal as working in the mines, though. It's what I grew up experiencing."

"Tell us about it!"

"My father, his father, his father, all the way back many generations, were all funeral directors. I was set to follow in his footsteps."

"Well, you still can when I get home!"

Jacques just shook his head calmly. "The odds of that are slim."

Piccolo looked concerned and slightly disappointed. "Aw, don't say that! You're very capable, don't you agree my friends?!" The crowd cheered. The tributes stayed silent. None of them were really sure what they were supposed to do. Ollie gave a tentative hoot, but he was the only of the other twenty-three to make noise.

"Hm."

"Well, why don't you tell us a bit about your interactions with the other tributes! Did any of them stick out?"

Jacques's ears went red, and the crowd immediately started saying, "Oooo!" Piccolo grinned. "Yeah. Someone sticks out."

"And who would that be?" Piccolo asked.

Jacques bit his lip. "Ollie." Before he could continue, the crowd went wild. The camera found Ollie, whose face was displayed on the big screen. He just looked totally shocked, though. Daria was beaming and hitting his arm excitedly, saying, "That's you!"

"What a surprise!" Piccolo said, as the crowd finally got quiet enough that Miya could hear him again. "What brought this about?"

"He is very deserving of the title. He's hard-working, noble, and kind. He seems trustworthy, and sweet, and generally he's just a good person. I would send my sponsor money to him. I would rally behind him."

"That's… Very selfless of you."

"Piccolo, I am not afraid of death. But I don't want my death to be without good reason." The crowd had no idea how to react.

"How tragic! Here's our Romeo, so in love that he's willing to die on behalf of his beloved…" The crowd went wild at that, people shouting cheering. Miya noticed a good number of them dabbing their eyes at this _touching_ love story.

Piccolo stayed on Ollie a good while longer with a brief question about strategy and alliances.

"So, Jacques, is there anything you want to say to anyone?"

"Ollie. I'm sorry if I freaked you out. After all, you talked to a bunch of other people, and you don't even know I exist. I want to stand by you in the Games, though. If you'll let me." His buzzer rang and the crowd went wild.

"Everyone, Jacques Noir!" They were still cheering as he took his spot next to Ashlyn. All the tributes stood up as Piccolo presented them all one last time. "Everybody, your tributes for the Fifth Quarter Quell!" the applause seemed to last forever, loud and continuous. Miya bowed with the other tributes before the applause fizzled off and the program had ended. The tributes were escorted out to their limos and driven back to the Tribute Building.

Miya felt much better after showering and changing into PJs. She was too energized to sleep, though, so she decided to do some exploring. She called the elevator, but when the doors opened, she was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Hey," Dania said.

"Hi," Miya greeted, getting in. "Are you going up too?"

"Yeah. I'm glad I found you, though, I wanted to talk to you."

Miya was confused. "Oh. Okay." The doors closed and Dania selected the roof. The elevator took them up quickly. Miya laughed, slightly awkwardly. "It's so fast."

"Yeah, it is." Miya and Dania stepped out of the elevator. The summer air felt good in Miya's still slightly damp hair. She immediately went to the edge so she could look out at the city. Even in the night she had to admit it was beautiful. Dania came and sat beside her. The two girls sat in silence for a while, nothing but the breeze of the night between them.

"Did you know that the Capitol has technology that doesn't allow you to fall off the roof?" Dania asked.

"No, I didn't. How does it work?"

"If someone falls off, or drops something off, there's some kind of something installed that causes it to rebound back up."

"Why would they have the idea to make something like that?" Miya asked curiously.

"In case a tribute tried to die by jumping off." The air seemed to get colder.

"Oh. That makes sense." They sat in silence. The realization that one of them was going to die hit hard.

"Hey Miya?"

"Yeah?"

Dania was quiet, but there was a new energy to her quiet. A different kind of nervous energy that she hadn't felt for a while… Oh no.

"That talk tonight… You know. The last question stuff. That was… For you."

Miya was less surprised than she expected to be. "…Oh."

"I'm sorry. I just… Thought you should know."

"You know they might air this don't you…?"

"Yeah. I know. I don't care."

"That's nice of you to say, I'm really flattered, but… You know I have a boyfriend. And I really, really like him. So…"

"It's fine. I get it. It's just… Y'know, I guess it's just the emotions all playing with my head." There was another silence between them. "I made it weird, didn't I?"

"No, not at all," Miya said. "Everyone gets these feelings. You can't really control it. And you were very respectful about it. We can still be friends, we can still be a killer team together in the Games."

Dania let out a small laugh of relief. "Good. I'm glad."

Miya smiled. "I'm glad too."

They both looked out into the city again, but this time the silence was comfortable. It was as if a weight had been lifted between the two of them. After all, they both knew where they were, and what this was.

Miya hoped that Dania could move on before her feelings actually got serious.

And if not, then it was one less tribute to work through for Miya to get back home to her friends, her family, and to Liam.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Oh diddly dammit I tried to keep it under 10,000 and I failed. Horribly. I just got a bit carried away. I hope that you all liked this chapter though, even if you read it in chunks XD**_

 _ **So, now there are only four more chapters till the Games… What?! I don't even have an Arena concept solidified yet, let alone any idea of any kind of death order XD I don't want to kill any of these tributes, why do you all gotta do this to me? T.T**_

 _ **But first, the party! Which is going to be fuuun!~~ Yay! I'm pretty sure that the party chapters are going to be long. The POVs are probably going to be longer than 2000 per character, but only because there's going to be a lot of interaction and featuring of other tributes and I don't want to rush anything! Just like these POVs were longer to give the narrator their spotlight time along with other tributes. I'm literally so excited for these party chapters, I've been planning them out for such a long time!**_

 _ **Also, I'm going to post pictures of all the interview dresses on the blog. I did tweak some things/add things from some of the outfits on the forms, I hope that was okay!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Favorite/standout interview(s) of this bunch and why?**_

 _ **Thanks a bunch for all the reviews and support, as always!**_

 _ **Next chapter, we hear from Daria and Jacques for preparations and dinner with the President. See you then!**_

 _ **P.S. I realized that there were about a million tense changes and mistakes in the first half of interviews, and the next thing on my checklist is to go back and clean that up. I think this one is better because I didn't write it while watching TV, but if it's bad I apologize for my laziness and lack of proofreading XD**_


	28. Daria & Jacques: Take A Chance (Party 1)

-Daria Junius, 15, District 11-

She hadn't said enough.

She knew she hadn't said enough.

Daria wished she'd said something differently. She didn't realize until it was too late that Syca could have thought it was for him. Daria just didn't want to embarrass her on national television, that was all, she didn't this to be a huge thing that the Capitol talked about. She was trying to gage from her interview if she felt the same, but she just couldn't tell.

It was unlikely, of course. Somewhere deep within her, she knew that it was unlikely. But her heart was aching, desperate for her to feel the same. She was desperately hanging onto some kind of hope that maybe, just maybe, some twist of fate would bring them together. That twist wasn't likely to happen.

Of all the tributes, it _had_ to be her.

Of all the tributes in the Games, it had to be _her_.

It had to be the rebel. It had to be the criminal. The very person that Daria's parents would arrest and flog. It had to be her that Daria ached to be near. Syca was nice, but he wasn't her. God, he wasn't her. Nobody was her. Nobody could possibly compare to her. Something about her just drew Daria in. Something about her made Daria want to be by her side. And she never even noticed. She never even gave Daria a second glance.

Of all the tributes, it had to be Desiree Menghiasi. The graffiti artist, the criminal, the girl who didn't follow the rules. It was _her_ that Daria's heart bled for. It was _her_ that Daria stayed up thinking about. It was _her_ Daria was constantly trying to impress. Every time Daria had the honor of learning something new about her, those were the things she held in her memory, those were the little details that made Daria's heart swell.

God, it was pathetic. But Desiree was the one Daria thought about as she stood out on the balcony the night after interviews, watching the city come alive with the nightlife. Her home.

Her parents would have a heart attack if they knew. Daria wasn't sure how they'd react to her being panromantic, after all, they were pretty strict, but if they knew it was Desiree, they would surely lock her in her room. She should not be associating with those types, and she knew it. She just couldn't help herself. She had spent so much time trying to impress Desiree, who had never given her a second glance. She and Persei hit it off immediately and left the other two, their hearts aching.

Daria couldn't believe it was her. It was the girl her parents, her home would despise. And yet, every time Desiree would sign something, Daria would just smile because it was so endearing.

Daria knew that she was probably just being hopelessly optimistic to think that Desiree actually liked her. Just like always. She knew she was probably just daydreaming when she thought about Desiree avoiding her to avoid falling hopelessly in love with her. She knew it was false hope that they'd meet later in the Games and team up, before realizing there was that spark between them. It was probably delusional for Daria to think that the girl from District Six, the girl who broke the law and fled from Peacekeepers, would give a single damn about a girl from the Capitol.

It was keeping her awake at night. She would toss and turn, trying to sleep, and fail. She just spent so much time being worried about what she said, and what Desiree must think of her. She wish she'd just put it out there, but she was always too shy. She knew that she probably had to move on, but at this point she had no idea where to even start doing that.

She couldn't sleep, so she went out to the main room, where she ordered some water. She was about to go back to her room when she heard something that made her curious.

She snuck around, keeping her ears open. They led her to a small, dimly lit closet.

"What if they figure it out?" Bonaventure. He sounded… Worried.

"Listen, we covered our tracks the best we could." Chervil. What would they be doing, meeting there.

"You did the right thing, Bonaventure." Daria's ears perked up. She was lucky she knew so much about the Games, or else she wouldn't have recognized Cerena Mai's voice.

"I hope so… She is only fifteen."

"They'll see. They'll see when she's martyred." Daria's heart pounded. _Were they talking about her? And if so, why?_

"So, how's recruiting going?" Daria knew Anakyn Skyavich's voice anywhere. "Benjamin?"

"I don't know what you want me to say," said a gruff voice Daria didn't recognize. "He's the President's nephew, how am I supposed to approach him? What am I supposed to say?"

"What about Maggie?" Skeeter asked. How many people were in there?

A scoff. "You think I can separate her from her parents long enough to talk to her?"

A disappointed sigh. "How about you?" Cerena asked.

"Not budging." Daria's heart stopped. _Wolf Jansing_.

"Can't you just use your puppy eyes?" Helen Bethel asked.

"Now's not the time for jokes," Cerena said, to which Helen sighed and muttered, "Just trying to lighten the mood."

"They're not like me," Wolf said.

"Haven't you tried working them?" Anakyn asked.

"Yes. Why don't you campaign? Phil's more likely to listen to you than me anyways."

"What?"

A pause. Through the crack in the door, Desiree can see a hooded figure pull the hood down just enough for the blue eyes to give him a look.

"Huh? I don't…" A slight pause. "Oh. _Oh_... Shit, yeah…. Okay, I get it. Oh."

"They're not going to drop everything, though, man."

"Can't you do anything to convince them?"

"No. I said, they're not like me. They haven't lost everything. They still have people to look out for, okay?" there was a somber silence.

"We don't have much more time for sitting around," said another gruff voice that Daria didn't recognize. "The movement is dying and the longer we stay silent, the more of us will die before this movement will take off. We need to move the masses."

"I have a plan to do that," Cerena said. Daria heard the shuffling of papers.

"You're not serious… Cerena, we promised-"

"I am serious. This is our chance."

"We promised we wouldn't interfere with-"

"Anakyn. Sit down and listen."

"No! I-"

"Ani," Helen said quietly. "Please."

A brief pause before Cerena continued. "This is our chance. I propose this. We send him to District Three early, on a scholarship. We get you, Anakyn, up on that District Three stage. If I have to demote so Alanena can move up, I will do it. You draw his name. He wins, there you go, we have our poster child."

Anakyn sounded mad, and ice cold. "And if he _dies_?"

"Then we put his face on a banner right next to hers."

"Absolutely not!"

"Ani, don't be too loud," Helen said.

"We promised we wouldn't force this on them," Anakyn said.

"We wouldn't. We'd get him on board with our cause."

"He doesn't know what the hell he's doing, he certainly won't do this. He's just a kid, and by the way, he's far too loyal to his siblings to leave them, not to mention… Loyal to… That snake that would sell all of us out in a heartbeat if a single thing went wrong!"

"Who was it that was practically jumping at the chance to go into the Games a couple years ago?" Cerena quipped back.

"I-I was just being rash, I didn't mean it… I was just in a bad place and… No! This can't be the way…"

"This could be what we need. This could start the movement to ending the Games forever, isn't that what you want?" Cerena asked.

"Yes, but…"

"Well then."

"How can we pawn him off like that? I… I don't know if I could do that." His voice started to shake slightly.

"It won't be pawning, he'll know what's happening. Mostly. Not too much."

"A year. Give him one more year."

"One more year is twenty-three more lives, Anakyn. One more year is twenty-three lives that are all on your shoulders."

There was silence. Daria's heart was pounding out of her chest. What was happening? What _was_ this?

"Daria!" Shit, Bonaventure must have spotted her. He slipped out of the closet, shutting the door behind him. "Shouldn't you be off to bed?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I was just going there."

"Hey, listen…" Daria looked back up at her escort. She couldn't help feeling somewhat betrayed. She was confused and upset, and had no idea how she fit into all of this. What was happening? Had she been reaped for a reason? So many questions were flying around in her head.

"What were you doing in there?" she asked. That was definitely the most prevalent.

"We're playing a roleplay game," Bonaventure said. "Just letting off steam."

Daria knew it wasn't true, but couldn't bear to accept that. "Oh. I see. That sounds like fun."

Bonaventure cracked a small smile. _Just a game_ , Daria told herself. _Just a game just a game just a game_.

"I… Hope you win."

She finished her water, putting the glass down, and quickly went back to her bedroom, trying to convince herself that it was true.

.

The next day was a Games first. Daria was in much better spirits, knowing that she was a part of Games history being made. There had never been any kind of party before, and she had to admit that a night in festivities with her people in the Capitol just sounded like so much fun. Maybe tonight she would finally forget about Desiree.

The morning was fairly casual. Bonaventure, as usual, was quiet and stone-faced. Skeeter was sober for once, and Chervil was actually trying to give some advice.

"We don't know exactly what the deal's going to be," he admitted, spooning some pancakes into his mouth. Daria reached over and put some honey on her pancakes, enjoying the delicious breakfast.

"Want some honey?" she asked around the table.

"No thanks," Chervil said. "I'm waiting for my wedding day."

"Hm?" she was confused.

"Eating honey is part of a wedding tradition back home," Ollie explained. "For a lot of people, it's the first and last time they'll ever taste it."

"Oh. That's cute. Sure you don't want to try some?" she asked Ollie. He considered, but shook his head. "To each his own I guess." Daria really didn't understand District traditions, but in a way their poorness was endearing.

Bonaventure spoke up for the first time this morning as Daria was putting some strawberries into her mouth.

"Apparently Piccolo is in the building, and when they come around, they'll explain exactly how the party is going to work and answer any questions."

"Oh, good!" Ollie said sunnily. The table went into an awkward silence. There had been just a bit more tension in the District 11 compartment after the interviews. Chervil hadn't even mentioned Jacques's confession. Daria was rooting for them to get together, but she knew that would be the last thing Chervil would want, let alone even talk about it.

"I'm so excited for this!" Daria said, trying to break the awkward silence. "Aren't you?"

Skeeter grunted. Chervil shrugged. "I guess I get to see my cousin again. So… That's good."

"Who are you taking to the party, Skeeter?"

"A… Friend."

"Oh, great!" the table went back into silence.

After breakfast, the tributes went back to the common room, where they watched some highlights from the interviews. Desiree's face appeared and made Daria's heart pound harder. It took a while for the Interviewer to reach their Floor, but Daria was filled with joy to see them.

Today, Piccolo was wearing a dress with strawberries on it, shiny red flats, and a red flower crown. And, of course, her make-up was flawless, her lashes thick with red eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and shiny, glossy red lips.

"Good morning District Eleven crew!" she said enthusiastically.

"Morning!" Daria and Ollie chirped. The mentors and escort, as usual, said nothing.

"How are you doing this morning?"

"Good!" the District partners piped up at the same time.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Now, I'm sure you're wondering how the party's going to work." Both of them nodded, so Piccolo sat on a chair, handing both of the mentors a paper. "All of this is listed on those papers, so if you are confused, you can use them for reference." Daria was still starstruck to be here, sitting across from the beautiful Piccolo Wallace. "Alright, so Phase One of the party is dinner tonight at the President's Mansion. This party is very exclusive, invitation only. The Victors will be there with their dates, plus a lot of higher-ups, the Games employees, and some of their friends and family. Plus, the Capitol Symphony will be playing- under the direction of the wonderful Benjamin McGinty- so ballroom dancing is a must."

"Fuck," Chervil said, exchanging a look with Skeeter, who shrugged.

"You'll have dinner with the Capitolites and be expected to dance at least once as the first song will be a District partners dance."

Daria looked at Ollie to exchange a look, but he seemed to be paying close attention to Piccolo. She bumped his arm instead, which caused him to jump. Daria had to admit that her glossy lips were a bit distracting.

"Then, you'll all eat with President Blossius and have time to make an impression with the big names. I'll be playing, of course, but I can help you if you feel lost when the Big Band performs. For that, you'll all be wearing ballgowns and nice suits. After that, you'll immediately go to Phase Two of the party. AKA, the fun part. You'll change into something more fun in the limos on the way. Phase Two is a block party in the city. They're closing off the streets and the President's Nephew Emmet Mitchell is going to DJ for a dance party. There's also going to be some fun stuff to do set up, one of which is a Ferris Wheel!"

"Oo, those are great!" Daria said, the excitement growing.

"Upward Voyager is going to perform, too, so there will be plenty of time to dance! Now, this party is open to any Capitolite that wants to come, so there will be plenty of people! However, as tributes, you get advantage of cutting the lines for whatever you want with whoever you want! Alright, now, onto roses. Each tribute is going to receive a rose that is colored uniquely to them. You only get one, and you get to give them to whoever you want. A rose worn on the right side symbolizes a romantic gesture, on the left a friendly gift. Those are unique to you, so everyone will know who you give them to. Also, through the night, during the block party, each tribute is going to have a stand-out moment, when you'll be put up on the big screen. Make the most of it. Emmet's a wonderful person, he'll wait for the best time to put you up there to set you up for sponsor-winning. Alright, the last thing I have for you now." She reached into her bag and handed both the tributes rectangular pieces of technology. "These are cameras. You can either take pictures of things or you can take selfies."

"What?" Ollie asked.

"Here, I'll show you!"

Piccolo took Ollie's camera from him and showed him how to switch to the front lens. Ollie's eyes widened when he saw Piccolo and himself on the screen. "Smile!" the Interviewer said, and Ollie did so for Piccolo to take the picture. "You can do lots of things with selfies. Make weird faces, kissy faces, whatever have you."

Daria already had hers started up. "I want to take one! Come here Ollie!"

Ollie leaned over. Daria put up a peace sign and took the picture, making sure she looked perfect.

"You're a natural!" Piccolo said.

"I want to try!" Ollie said.

"Let's do a crew picture!" Daria said. The tributes moved to the couch where the mentors were sitting to take the picture. The mentors looked awkward but Bonaventure at least tried. Daria beamed, pleased.

"Use those to take lots of pictures and videos throughout your night!" Piccolo said.

"Got it!" Daria said.

"Alright, I know that's a lot of information. Do you guys have any questions?"

"When do I get to see Jude again?" Chervil asked.

"You'll meet up before entering the President's Mansion."

"Will they go to Phase Two?"

"If they wish, they are allowed."

Ollie raised his hand. "How are we supposed to learn ballroom dancing? Do any of you guys know how?"

"I know the basics, but I'm not that great."

The mentors and escort shrugged.

"I can come up and teach you," Piccolo said. "If you like."

"Oh, sure!" Ollie beamed.

"Great." Piccolo smiled. "See you in a few. I should go up to Twelve."

"Okay." Piccolo waved and went back to the elevator. Daria was ready to burst with excitement. She immediately went back to her closet to find a cute top to take more selfies in. All her worries about the previous night were buried away as she prepared herself for the excitement of the coming evening.

The rest of the day whirled by. Piccolo gave them plenty of advice about ballroom dancing. She started with Daria, teaching her how to follow a lead and dust off her dancing skills. After that, they switched off, Daria taking plenty of selfies and sneaking a couple of pictures of Piccolo teaching Ollie to dance. Those two spent an exceptional amount of time together, running through all the steps. Every time Ollie would stumble, they'd start again from the beginning. Daria couldn't help sneaking just a couple pictures. They just both looked like they were having so much fun together. It was cute.

Ollie and Piccolo took a break for lunch, inviting Daria to eat with them. For once, though, Daria had a total backseat in the conversation. Piccolo kept asking things about Eleven, which Ollie would rebound with questions about the Capitol. Daria knew both, but neither of them really seemed to care.

After lunch Piccolo realized she had to go warm up with the symphony, bidding them both a warm farewell. After that, Daria and Ollie practiced dancing together, putting together everything they'd learned. They took a couple more selfies before they were separated to be prepped for the party. Daria took plenty of selfies, some with curlers in her hair and some with her prep team.

She was put in a light pink ballgown, her hair curled and left down for once. She wore sparkly silver flats and a flower crown in her hair. Once she was ready, she was given her rose, the exterior of which was the same pink as her dress, the interior a bright red.

She met Ollie in the waiting room as the tributes were loading up the limos. He was wearing a black suit and a bowtie the same color as her dress. His flower was the same color as hers on the outside, the inside a pretty lavender. The same butterfly mechanics that were used on their chariot outfits were used now, the beautiful, colorful creatures flying around them jovially.

"Districts 10, 11, and 12, this way to your limo."

Ollie immediately fell into step with Jacques, whose bowtie was a dark charcoal color. He chattered happily about his time preparing. Daria was practically bouncing with the excitement.

She couldn't wait to see how this was going to go.

* * *

-Jacques Noir, 18, District 12-

Jacques was shocked that Ollie was talking to him. It felt good, of course, it made his heart beat just a bit faster, made him feel just a bit more alive, even in the claws of death. It was nice that the person Jacques admired was finally starting to recognize him. Suddenly, he was asking Jacques all these questions about home, about his job, and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him. It was a dream come true, practically.

It was too bad that Jacques would die before he really got to know Ollie, but he had accepted it. Besides, Jacques dying would not be in vain. Jacques dying would mean that Ollie had a better chance at living. It wouldn't all be in vain.

The limo was amazing. It was so spacious, the seats were made of slick black leather, and there was music playing. Daria, who was sitting on the end, quickly pulled out the camera she'd been given.

"Limo selfie!" she chirped. "Everyone in!"

Ollie had the cutest smile on his face. It was kind of goofy, but in an endearing way. Jacques still felt extremely awkward, but he couldn't just duck out of it, not with Ollie there encouraging him. Attila kept his gruff face on but didn't duck out of the picture. Miya gave a solid peace sign, wearing her most dazzling smile. Jacques felt awkward, but tried to smile anyways.

He figured Ashlyn was intentionally hiding to avoid being in the picture. When Piccolo gave them the cameras, she immediately started smashing hers against the floor. Jacques kept his. The first "selfie" he took was very awkward, it only had his ear in it and Allegra looked awkward holding a smile for so long. Piccolo helped him to get most of his face in, and the second was only slightly less awkward than the first. It was really pointless since Jacques was going to die anyways, but if he could get good publicity that he could pass onto Ollie, it would be worth it.

"Yay!" she squeaked. Like all the District pairs, Ollie and Daria had roses of the same exterior color, which matched the color of her ballgown and his bowtie. Jacques wasn't too surprised when his rose was charcoal gray, like Ashlyn's. The inside of hers was colored like fire, while the inside of his was as black as the night. He couldn't imagine Ollie wanting to wear such a dark, drab rose on his light, pastel aesthetic, so he held onto it for the time being.

The District Ten roses were brown on the outside. Miya's was beige on the inside, like her rope dress during the chariot ride. Attila's was a shiny, metallic gold. Daria kept talking through the limo ride, but none of the others had too much to say. Finally, they parked at the Presidential mansion. Jacques could hear the crowd cheering.

"Welcome to the Mansion," the driver said, smiling. "Please exit with your District partner, in District order. Your escorts are waiting to take you inside."

As always, Jacques and Ashlyn were last. Ambrose smiled a bit when they saw the pair of them. In front of them, Daria took Ollie's arm.

"You'll be walking in as a pair, and immediately into the first dance. Take his arm now, Ashlyn."

"No."

Ambrose sighed, looking just a second like they were going to lose their patience. "Just do it. Now." The flashes of cameras were coming from every angle. Jacques felt incredibly awkward but Ashlyn eventually did take his arm as they walked inside, Ambrose following. They enjoyed every second of fame they had, that much was obvious. They stopped outside the door.

"They're announcing the tributes pair by pair," Ambrose explained. "Keep smiling for the crowds." Jacques did as they said, smiling awkwardly. Soon, they were inside the doors, through the halls to the great Ballroom, where the tributes were being announced by Viola's excited voice.

"From District Eleven, Ollie Kirk and Daria Junius!" they entered with Bonaventure and the crowd clapped.

"And, from District Twelve, Jacques Noir and Ashlyn Bayard!" The pair entered the room, greeted by applause as Ambrose led them to their spot on the dance floor. The escorts then left the floor. Jacques barely had time to notice that the District Seven escort wasn't there, another unfamiliar Capitolite being a substitute for him. He barely had time to wonder why: let alone take in the grandeur of the room, the crowd, the delicious smell of the dinner, and the young, attractive man with magenta hair conducting the symphony: before the first song was being played. Jacques put his hands on Ashlyn's waist as lightly as possible and she, scowling, put hers on his shoulders.

He focused on his feet, trying to remember what Ambrose and Braelyn taught him about ballroom dancing. Ashlyn wasn't trying very hard to be a good partner, which made the task that much harder. He was sure the last thing she wanted was to be here, but she couldn't change the situation, so why was she still so insistent on cooperating?

Before Jacques knew it, the pair from District Eleven was sweeping across the floor. They looked so natural, like the two of them had been dancing together for years beforehand. Jacques had no idea how Ollie could have possibly learned to dance like that so quickly, but it was probably just one of the wonderful things about him. When the District Nine pair whizzed by them, Jacques wondered if they probably already switched flowers, as Jasper was wearing one with a red and black inside like June's interview dress, and she was wearing one with bright yellow inside. It was hard to tell because they were both orange on the outside.

Before he knew it, the song was over. Phew, he'd made it without any broken toes. The crowd applauded.

"Now, please welcome the mentors, and their esteemed dates! Tributes, please line up again. When you meet your mentors, their dates have something special for you!"

There was a lot of buzz, many of the tributes looking surprised, but they did as Viola said.

"First, please welcome District One's Cartier Candelaria, the Victor of the 97th Games- Escorting a friend and potential volunteer, Crusade Chandler!" the boy with the Victor was beaming widely as he handed Chancellor a piece of paper. Blessing was announced, escorting another trainee, who gave Wicke a letter.

"Next, District Two's Vesperus Floridius, Victor of the 113th Games, escorting his sister Prisca Floridius!" The woman with Vesperus was wearing an expression set with indifference, but when she handed Acacia a piece of paper, Acacia lit up and threw her arms around the woman. "And, Nona Amatore, Victor of the 119th Games, escorting her brother, Tertius Amatore!" Nona's date handed Dania a piece of paper and handed a smaller piece to Nona, who looked surprised and immediately stuffed it into her bra.

"Next, District Three's Tav Kohl, Victor of the 102nd Games, escorting his daughter Lottie Kohl!" the girl couldn't have been more than Three. Bec had to crouch to get the paper from her and enveloped her into a hug upon receiving it. Ellie escorted her husband.

"And, District Four's Port Stradlater, escorting a friend and potential volunteer, Percival Hale!" The boy and Nerio had an intense stare-off over the piece of paper, which appeared to be a letter. Michael also escorted a potential volunteer.

Tim Delacroix escorted his wife Trina. She gave Joule a hug with the letter, which he immediately skimmed. Kelly Fischer escorted a Capitolite as a "blind date," but as soon as the man handed Dyna the paper they hugged Kelly tightly, overwhelmed with joy.

"Next, from District Six, Gian Mariani, Victor of the 123rd Games, escorting his friend Agalia Peytros!" Agalia was a fairly pretty girl with long brown hair styled up and dark brown eyes. She had a calm smile on as she handed Riggs his letter, but broke into a grin when Riggs gave her a tight hug. Anatoly escorted her sister Evelyn. Desiree hugged the letter close to her heart as soon as she got it.

"From District Seven, Kendal Beck, Victor of the 84th Games, escorting his husband Gravity Stowers!" Gravity was a kind-looking man who had a gentle-looking dog by his side. Syca looked at the letter for a second before giving him a big hug. Jacques could see him say, "Thank you Mr. Stowers!"

"And, Helen Bethel, Victor of the 120th Games, escorting her friend Anakyn Skyavich!" The crowd went wild. Well, that explained why he wasn't there to escort the tributes in.

Tartan Vincent escorted a "blind date" from the Capitol. Semper took the letter quickly and ducked back. Anthony Tidwell escorted his sister Giselle. Ester grinned widely upon receiving her letter.

Prentice Tholberg escorted his younger sister, Rumi. The little girl handed Jasper a paper with a crayon drawing on it, and he immediately picked her up and spun her around in a hug. Vale escorted a Capitol "blind date," and June thanked him politely for the letter, grinning.

Arthur escorted his husband Caspar Burns, who gave Attila his letter and a firm handshake. Roxanne escorted her brother, a man just as gruff as she was. Miya gave him a firm handshake for her letter.

Chervil escorted his cousin Jude Faure, a tiny kid that couldn't have been more than thirteen. Ollie gave them a tight hug, tears pooling in his eyes at the sight of the letter. Jacques couldn't help but smile at that. It was just so sweet. Skeeter escorted his friend Olive Porter, an older woman who gave Daria her letter and caused her to squeal with glee.

Finally it was their turn.

"Next, District Twelve's Allegra Pakulski, Victor of the 118th Games, escorting her fiancé Hoke Tolbert!" Jacques stepped forward. Hoke looked very gruff and had a mean look in his eye as he handed Jacques the letter. Jacques recognized his father's handwriting, and his heart skipped a beat. He didn't think it would impact him as much as it did.

"Thank you sir," he said politely.

"And, finally, Braelyn Colonomos, Victor of the 90th Games, escorting her friend Lorette Sedaite!" Lorette was a woman with short brown hair and olive skin. Jacques knew she was a therapist back in Twelve, and could only assume that she was there to help Allegra, who continually screamed and broke down from nightmares.

"Now, everyone please be seated for dinner!" Viola chirped happily. "As you eat, the Capitol Symphony has prepared a very special treat. We will be playing music from times far before Panem was created, restored and edited by Mr. Viridian Turner. For all of you, under the direction of Mr. Benjamin Mcginty, here are the romantic, flirtatious, melodies we call Danzón."

The crowd applauded politely as the tributes took their seats. This time, they weren't seated by District. Jacques's placecard was right next to Ollie's which made him smile. On Ollie's other side was Persei from Seven, who was wearing a bright green dress to match her flower, which had a dark green interior. Next to her was Desiree. Syca and Daria sat across from them. Across from Jacques was Chance, who sat next to Nerio. The President sat in the middle of the side across from Jacques. Next to him was Wicke, Acacia across than her. Luna was on his other side, next to Nerio. Attila and Ester were next to each other, across from Luna.

The symphony started to play as the servers brought food. They were Avoxes, so Jacques and Ollie both bit their tongues to keep from thanking them.

"Thank you all so much for spending this delightful time with me," President Blossius said, cutting his meat. "Too pink." He sent it back with an Avox. Ollie looked slightly uncomfortable, so Jacques nudged his foot under the table to remind him to keep a smile on. "And I welcome you to my mansion. I hope you enjoy your time here."

The tributes all gave polite assent.

"So, have you enjoyed your time here?" More nods of assent.

"So, Mr. Syca, I hear you've been caught up in a prank war."

The boy looked up, and nodded quickly. "Yes, Helen and Anakyn keep pranking each other!"

"Those two are quite the pair," he said. "Miss Persei, what were your thoughts on that?"

"Immature, I suppose," Persei said. "But at least they do their jobs."

"I see." He eventually asked questions to every tribute. It was like a test, and everyone was nervous to know whether or not they passed.

"Mr. Jacques, you run a funeral back home?"

Damn. The President caught him with his mouth full. He gave a nod, swallowing, before he spoke. "Yes, I was hoping to inherit my family's funeral home."

"Ah, I see. And Miss June, I couldn't help but notice your escort's lovely face decorations."

"Oh. Yes." She gave an innocent smile.

"I can't imagine he would write _#June4Victor125_ on his own forehead."

"What's _hashtag_?" Ollie whispered to Jacques. Jacques just shrugged.

"I don't know, I think he's got the right idea. Sir."

Blossius chuckled at that. It was more than a little nerve-wracking. At least Jacques's turn was over early. Each tribute got asked something unique to them. Jacques couldn't help but be interested when he asked Ollie about his living situation back home. Ollie talked about his sick mother and Uncles that had taken them all in. He had such a great story. Jacques wanted to know as much as he could about it.

Everyone was relieved that the President avoided asking questions about their relationship status. All of his questions were things individual to them, which made them much easier to answer.

Soon after dinner was dessert. The President showed them all a pink liquid, that would make them throw up if they were too full. None of the tributes dared try it, though. He left to use it. Dessert was absolutely delicious. Acacia insisted on feeding Wicke the first bite, which was almost as sweet as the three-layer chocolate mousse they were eating. There was more light conversation, but there was certainly an underlying tension. President Blossius acknowledged that District Nine was the first to give flowers, as they had exchanged. Both wore the flowers on their right sides. He talked a bit about the Capitol blind dates he'd gotten for each of the Victors, and the tributes all listened with intense interest.

After dessert, the tributes watched the symphony for a while. President Blossius made it a point to mention his nephew, the trumpet player with the blue hair, who was an extremely accomplished musician. He also mentioned with pride that Em was dating the conductor of the Symphony, a very nice boy that was a prodigy. Jacques had heard mention of the President having a niece, but he didn't point her out or bring her up.

After a few more songs, many of the Capitolites got up and started to dance. The President thanked them for their time and dismissed them to dance, talk to sponsors, and have fun. He went back up to his balcony to observe.

"Hey, Jacques, I was going to ask if Kaelys had room in her alliance. Did you want to come with me?"

"Oh…" Jacques smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Ollie reached out and took his hand, which made Jacques's ears burn red. He immediately squeezed Ollie's hand, though, as they went to find the District Three girl, who had already met up with the pair from Nine.

"Hi there," Ollie said, causing the three of them to look up. "Some dinner, right?"

"God, that was terrifying," June said. "I felt like every move I made was being scrutinized."

"Yeah, definitely a lot of pressure," Ollie said. "Anyways, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say next, but I liked hanging out with you all in training and was wondering if maybe… We could join you?"

Kaelys raised an eyebrow. Her ballgown was silver like her rose, which was light gray on the inside. "We?"

"Me and Jacques." Ollie squeezed his hand, and Jacques prayed that nobody could see his blush. However, his pale skin betrayed the blood rushing to his cheeks and he knew it.

"Hm. What do you guys think?"

"I say, why not?" Jasper asked. Jacques noticed just then that the couple wasn't even touching. He wondered if they were grossed out by PDA. What if the hand-holding was too much?

"Agreed," June said.

"Welcome aboard," Kaelys said. She reached out to shake Ollie's hand, so he had to let go of Jacques's. She shook his hand too, her handshake firm and strong. He could see why she and Ashlyn seemed to get along.

"Yay! This is awesome!" Ollie grinned. He was so cute when he got excited. Well, he was so cute all the time. But especially cute when excited. Like a puppy. "Now what?"

"Now, we kiss some rich Capitol ass. And you coupley people, you dance."

They split up, Ollie taking Jacque's hand again to take him to the refreshments table to talk with some of the higher-ups. A couple of polite and very flattering conversations later, the Symphony played a lively waltz. Ollie was about to strike conversation with a plump man dressed in a bright blue suit when Jacques blurted out, "Will you please dance with me?"

Ollie beamed. "Of course! C'mon!" They went out on the dance floor together.

"Who was your letter from?" Jacques asked, as Ollie guided him across the floor.

"My Mom and sister and Uncles," Ollie said, grinning. "They're so important to me."

Jacques smiled. "Good."

"How about yours?" Ollie asked.

"My friends and sister, Susan."

"Oh, yeah! Tell me more about your sister!" He had a certain dreaminess to his voice that made Jacques's heart soar.

Jacques shrugged as Ollie spun the two of them around. "She married early and moved. Didn't want to take on the funeral business."

"Oh. Are you still on good terms?"

"I'd say so. How did you learn to dance so well?"

Ollie grinned. "Oh. Piccolo taught me!"

"Wait, really?" Jacques glanced up on stage, where Piccolo was playing a tiny black flute-looking instrument with the Symphony.

"Yup! She spent all afternoon teaching me. She's a great teacher." There was that dreaminess again. Jacques realized he'd probably just been imagining it the first time, it was just how Ollie spoke.

"Oh. Well, she definitely is, because you're miles better at this than me."

Ollie laughed. "Aw, you're doing just fine!"

Jacques smiled at him. "Thanks."

They danced for a couple of songs before stopping back at the refreshments table. This cycle of dancing and talking to people continued for a while. Jacques noticed Acacia wearing the white rose with bright red in the interior, while Wicke wore the gold rose with pink, yellow, and blue in the interior, meaning the two of them switched. And, both were worn on the right sides of the wearer.

Jacques noticed through the night that Wolf Jansing was there, probably as Pluto's date, and he was dancing with Anakyn. Daria twirled past them just then, the loud giggles of a Capitolite boy slightly younger than her with teal hair lighting up the room. Jasper and June talked up the crowds, but both of them did pause to give their mentor a dance. It surprised Jacques that Luna danced, once with Attila, before going back to talking up the crowds. When Jacques saw Nerio and Chance dancing together, he saw that they, too, had switched: Nerio wore the red rose with a dark red interior, and Chance wore light teal rose with a dark teal interior, both on the right side.

Every time Jacques saw Bec, he saw him with a different high-up Capitolite. Definitely continuing the flattery angle.

It was in the middle of a dance that Jacques go this courage.

"Ollie…"

"Yeah?"

"Would you do me the honor of taking my rose?"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Ollie broke into a grin, spinning Jacques around. "Of course. I'd love to. But only if you'll take mine."

Jacques smiled. "Of course." As soon as the dance was over, they exchanged flowers. Jacques's dark rose did look odd with Ollie's light pink tie, but it was a nice contrast. Jacques couldn't help but smile.

They were separated at the refreshments table some time into the festivities, when Chervil's cousin Jude came over and asked Ollie for a dance, to which he happily obliged. Jacques took a break, drinking some punch.

"Hey," Daria said.

"Hi," Jacques said politely.

"I took some pictures of you guys dancing. You're cute together!"

Jacques blushed. "Thanks."

"You really like Ollie, don't you?"

"I reckon I do."

"Nice flower."

Jacques glanced down at Daria, who grinned. "Thanks," he said cooly.

They stood there in silence for a while before Daria piped up.

"Woah. How did Dania get the President's niece to dance?"

"Huh?"

Daria pointed to where the girl from Two was swinging around the floor with young a girl with dyed gray hair. Dania was wearing Miya's flower around her left wrist, but still had her own flower, yet to give it away. The girl she was dancing with was wearing a blue-violet ballgown with a corset and a large poofy skirt that swayed every time she moved. She was cute, and looked like she was having a great time. Around her neck was a necklace with a pendant stiped with pink, purple, and blue.

"That's Anna Magdalena, the President's niece."

"Oh." Jacques was surprised. In hindsight, she certainly looked like she could be. She carried herself like a lady.

"My parents always told me that her parents keep a strict hand on her, though. They said that Emmet was the runaway child so they did their best to hold onto her."

"Oh. I see."

"I'm just surprised."

"Hm."

They were interrupted just then by Syca.

"Hi Daria, I would like to ask you to please share a dance with me." He held out a hand to her.

Daria grinned. "I would love to Syca!" She took his hand and they went out on the floor. Syca looked behind his back, and when Jacques followed his glance, he saw Wolf Jansing give him two thumbs up.

Ollie, meanwhile, was sharing a dance with Persei. Jacques felt his hand go to the pretty pink flower on the right side of his suit, near his heart, and he couldn't help but smile. Besides, the attention wasn't nearly as much on them as it was on Helen and Anakyn. Jacques talked to a couple of higher-ups, pointing out Ollie and trying to get them on his side. He could hear Acacia's loud voice talking about how beautiful and strong Wicke was from across the room. He teamed up with Kaelys on this task for a while, until Ollie came back to get another drink of punch between dances. Jacques noticed that he was wearing the bright green flower with a dark green interior on his left side.

"This is so fun!" he said. Jacques smiled affectionately and nodded. They talked some more, and Jacques stayed keen on the other tributes.

Ashlyn stayed at the table the whole time. Joule got up for one dance with Tim before he sat down, staring at the letter in his hands. Pluto only danced with Wolf, sitting with Vesperus after that. Jacques noticed Dania poking Nona, her face set in a teasing grin. Riggs had danced with multiple high-class Capitolites, but now was sitting with Gian. Jacques noticed Riggs offer the navy and gold rose to him, but Gian must have declined it. Finally, though, the disgruntled mentor did get up and dance with his tribute. Gian's date shared a dance with Prentice as well. Allegra, Hoke, Braelyn, and Lorette all stayed seated at their table. Many different couples shared dances. Wolf danced with as many tributes as he could, keeping an eye on Syca and giving him enthusiastic motions of encouragement all through the night. The girl who was the President's niece didn't show up on the dance floor again, but Dania did dance with Nona. This went on for a while, but Jacques didn't realize how quickly the time flew until the gruff voice of the conductor announced, "Now it's time for the final song of this half of the evening. Take your loved ones and enjoy their company with this lighthearted, romantic tune, Waltz of the Flowers."

"Hey," Ollie said, "Flowers." He grinned and took Jacque's hand.

"I get it," Jacques said dumbly, as Ollie put his hands on his waist. He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the dance.

After all, if Jacques was going to die, he figured at least he should get to die happy.

The song felt like it ended too soon. The Victors, dates, and escorts were the first to leave, saying they would meet the tributes on Main Street for Phase Two. Then, the tributes were taken back to their limos, which seemed to be assigned by groups this time as Jacques was with Kaelys, Ollie, and the Nine tributes.

As the limo drove, all of them were undergoing the instructions from their prep teams to make their outfits more fit for a night in the city. Jacques was extremely careful with Ollie's flower, taking it off his suit coat and putting it on the dress shirt underneath. He rolled up the sleeves and found the bowtie his stylists had given him to change into. Soon, the noise outside became louder as the limo was rolling to a stop.

Ollie looked dashing with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up like that, Jacques's flower over his heart and Persei's on his left. He gave Jacques a grin.

"Ready for Phase Two?" he asked.

Jacques smiled slightly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Yeah, I said they'd be long. Dammit, I got so much motivation tonight and it's 1:30 A.M. and I'm going to regret this when I wake up at 7:30 tomorrow morning but right now I'm just proud af! I wanted to post this tonight and dammit, I'm going to!**_

 _ **So, I hope you liked the first part of the party! I'm sorry if this feels rushed, it's really hard to keep track of so many different tributes in just two POVs. I just have other plans for all the other tributes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyways, though. I tried to put in as many tributes as possible to make it worth the wordcount, haha. And, of course, if there are any scenes you'd like to see expanded on, just say so and I'll try to get around to writing a deleted scene for it! So it's not all bad. Also, I hope I explained how it works well enough.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Ah, so much happened this chapter! So I guess I'll just ask, what were your favorite parts of the chapter/what parts stuck out to you most and why? There are so many little details I'm sure you can find something XD**_

 _ **Anyways, still posting stuff to the blog! I have color palettes for all 24 roses that I will put on the blog tomorrow, I promise, to give you a visual aid because it's going to be confusing whose flower is whose.**_

 _ **Next chapter, Ester transitions us to and Kaelys narrates Phase Two!**_


	29. Ester & Kaelys: Lovebug (Party 2)

-Ester Perliam, 16, District 8-

Ester ran through the instructions of her prep team in her mind as she and her allies entered the limo that was going to take them to the almighty Phase Two. Ester thought that the first part of the party had gone quite smoothly, she had managed to talk to a lot of Capitolites and convince them that the Careers were just as strong as ever. She also had a lot of fun dancing and talking up the crowd.

She had to admit, of all Games to end up in, these were the most suited to Ester's capabilities. She loved to gossip, after all, and knew exactly how to pull strings. She was clever, and knew how to make people feel certain ways.

Like a weaver, the machines in the factories that wove strings and made beautiful fabrics, Ester knew how to put words together. She was a weaver of words. Like differently-colored thread, each word was put in its place deliberately, each color contributed to the overall piece, and when it was done it was i

And that was a great quality to have in a situation like this. This party was playing right up to every strong suit Ester had: talking to people, but more importantly, spreading gossip. She wasn't afraid of lying, so if she could stir up the crowd by poking some gullible Capitolites, that was what she would do.

Semper currently wasn't doing anything interesting. Ester didn't want him to be left out of the circle, though. She could make up something fun that would get the crowds paying attention to him. Just a little white lie.

Tartan seemed to love the idea when Ester brought it up. Technically, he was Semper's mentor, but he was pretty frustrated at his tribute, who wasn't doing what Tartan thought was best. Right off the bat, though, Tartan was interested in Ester. He told her that she was the District Eight tribute that actually had a shot. He gave her plenty of advice about getting close to the crowds and play them. Like Ester, Tartan was a weaver of words. He knew how to talk to people, and he was a great liar.

Maybe Ester should have been concerned that she was taking his advice, but Tartan knew how to win. And really, that was what Ester wanted to do. Ant warned her not to get too close to him, not to tempt herself, not to lose who she was, but really this was who she was. She loved drama, and she didn't mind spreading gossip that wasn't true. After all, back home, she did whatever she had to in order to have something to write about. Together, Tartan and Ester came up with all kinds of things they could spread about other tributes. All she had to do was meet up with the people that were most likely to spread it.

There was… A bit of a wrench in the plan, though. There was the matter of Attila. Ester latched onto him immediately, per Tartan's advice, to get an in with the Careers. The problem was, well… She never expected to… Um… Hm. She hadn't expected to like him. There was just something about him, about his blunt, honest, right-to-the-point nature. Ester didn't need someone who talked a lot, after all. She did enough of that herself. Opposites attract, it seemed. Even though Ester was pulling his strings, she felt bad for doing it because she liked him. She knew that she had to stay focused on herself, on living, but at the same time she couldn't help divulging herself at the same time. She was just having too much fun to stop now.

Then there was the problem of Luna. She was spending a lot of time with Attila, she danced with him, she talked to him, and Ester definitely knew that the girl from District Four wasn't convinced that Ester belonged with the Careers. Ester would do whatever it took to get Luna away from Attila. It wouldn't be all that hard, considering Ester had him wrapped around her little finger.

She and the other Careers were in the first limo. Bec and Dyna were with them as well, as there were only four limos, but the two groups stayed separate. Everyone was too focused on changing from their formal outfits to their party outfits. Skirts were detached to turn ballgowns into shorter, easier to manage dresses. Ester took the giant skirt off of the purple dress that matched her flower, which she'd given to Attila. She was given a pair of shorts to change into, the corset of her dress turning into a strapless top. She let her hair down from the elegant style it was put up in to make a more casual style. In the bag with the shorts was also a golden hairpiece, which she put in as she was instructed. The others were all changing at the same time, so it was just a little bit chaotic. Luckily, the limo was pretty spacious, so there was plenty of room.

When Ester was done, she got out the camera that they'd been given to check her appearance and snap a quick, what's-it-called, _selfie_.

Ester liked taking pictures. She was usually not a photographer, leaving that job to someone else, but she liked it now. The first picture she was in was of the District Eight crew together. Tartan took it, so Ester had both hands free to do bunny ears on her District partner. That wasn't the first time she'd given bunny ears like that. She once did it during the annual yearbook picture taken of the paper staff, to bisexual Caulfield, who was not amused. It was funny to see that picture published in the book, totally worth it.

Semper was mostly confused, though. When she told him what it was, he gave a small smile. Semper really wasn't the kind to emote, though, which was a bitch because it made him so hard to read. Ester wanted a District partner she could read like a book, it was definitely more fun that way. She would just have to make do with what she had. If Semper wasn't going to let her in, she was going to let herself in.

Soon, a voice came on the intercom, the familiar voice of Viola Wallace.

"Tributes, you are hearing this message because you are just about a minute away from Main Street, where phase two of the party will begin! When you arrive, your mentors will be waiting for you with the perfect touches to finish your outfits! You'll be turning on to Main Street now, feel free to look out the window and enjoy the view!"

"Finishing touches?" Dyna asked Bec quietly, who shrugged. Ester didn't know what they were talking about either.

The sunroof of the limo opened and the warm summer air came rushing in.

"I wanna see!" Ester said excitedly, standing up to look out of the window. Main Street was absolutely spectacular. The buildings were lit up with color in the night, including a giant wheel that lit up different colors. The crowds were the best part. Many of the people had lights, either glowing sticks or differently-colored flashlights that they waved around. The cheering was enormous. Feeling the wind in her hair was also amazing. She raised her arms up and cheered with the crowd, who were more than receiving. She saw Acacia hanging out of the sunroof of the limo behind them. Bec soon appeared next to her, amazed at the crowd and trying to pump them up. It was truly an amazing sight. Ester loved the city and thought that maybe she'd get a place there once she won.

The limos slowed to a stop, and soon the doors opened. Dania was the first to exit. She had changed completely into a short party dress with a magenta bodice. The skirt was short, but poofy, with different shades of pink and red tulle. Attila and Miya stepped out after. Miya's brown dress had been replaced with a bright yellow top with capped sleeves and a pair of jean shorts. The boys had taken off their suitcoats and wore simple dress shirts, the top button now undone and the sleeves rolled to the elbows. Vests came off, ties were taken off or replaced by bowties, pants were replaced with shorts, and shoes were changed to tennis shoes or converse. Everyone was feeling much more comfortable, Ester included.

When she exited the limo, she looked around the crowd for Ant. He was standing with Tartan and a man that Ester recognized.

"I'll talk to you later," she said to Attila, giving him a wink as she walked over to where her mentor was waiting.

"Welcome to Main Street!" Viola said, her voice booming as the crowd applauded. "To the first ever Games party! The theme of our party is pride! Everyone can show pride differently, it's all about embracing who you are, so enjoy it! With your mentors are some special celebrity guests that are going to give you the final touches to your outfits!"

"Hey kid," Ester said, smiling and ruffling her District partner's hair. "How was the ride?"

"Fine." He hadn't really been living it up. In fact, Ester didn't remember seeing Semper do anything at the party. She didn't see him on the dance floor, she didn't see him at the refreshment table, she didn't see him anywhere. That was… Odd.

"Excited for Phase Two?" she asked. He just shrugged. Ester remembered how uncomfortable he was on the chariot rides, uncomfortable at the loud noise and the big crowds. Surely this wasn't his strong suit. Ester would have to help him out by throwing some publicity his way somehow.

The man, who Ester recognized as the same man who had injected her tracker, gave them both a smile. He had dark, pinkish-red hair and eyes that glinted purple in the bright lights of the night.

"For you, Miss Perliam," he said, handing her a flag. It was black and white striped, but an area making the District Eight symbol was colored with rainbow stripes. It was meant to represent her, of course, District Eight through and through, heteroromantic and homosexual. She would never want to have a sexual relationship with a guy, but she just connected with them so well emotionally. Cupid reached around her neck, wrapping the flag around her back and clasping it around her neck.

"Thank you," she said.

"And for you, Mr. Celandine," he wrapped a pink, purple, and blue flag around Semper's shoulders, who gave the tiniest smile of thanks.

There were screens up all around the city, and now they were lit up with each District pair receiving flags from the various celebrities. Viola gave the flags for District One, where both tributes smiled with pride. Pluto Nicastro was there for District Two. They gave Dania her flag first, then Acacia, who hugged them tightly. Wolf Jansing was there for District Three. He gave Kaelys her flag, who kept an expression of snow. Then, he gave Bec his flag, beaming animatedly and striking a conversation. They took a selfie together under the trans flag as it switched to District Four. Thor Nazario gave Luna a flag decorated with teal and the Capitol seal in silver. He gave Nerio the rainbow flag, and Ester could see him ask, "Are you ready?" Nerio nodded and after the flag was wrapped around his shoulders, he pumped his fist happily.

Piccolo was in charge of District Five. She gave Dyna their flag first, then gave Joule a flag that looked like Ester's, but with the District Five symbol. He didn't look very happy to take it, though.

 _Shouldn't have cheated on your fiancé then_ , Ester chided him in her head. Made for good drama, though, that was for sure. He was the most interesting of all the tributes.

District Six, in Ester's opinion, got jipped, because their "special guest" was just Gian. As expected, though, Riggs was absolutely over the moon about it, giving Gian a huge hug and smiling ear-to-ear. Desiree was also excited to wear her colors, smiling widely as she thanked Gian. District Seven also got jipped a bit, just considering that theirs was just Anakyn. Ester noticed that the escort had the symbol for District 3 University painted on his face, along with the blue, pink, and purple flag on the other side. He gave Syca a flag with the District Seven symbol on it, and Persei a flag that was black, gray, white, and purple, the same flag Wicke wore for asexuality. When he wrapped it around her shoulders, she gave the smallest smile and said, "Thank you Anakyn," which caused the escort to grin ear-to-ear.

Ester and Semper were next, and the girl hugged the flag around her shoulders, just noticing the little girl peeking out from behind Cupid's legs in that moment.

District Nine was next. They both got flags with their district symbol in gold, and their special guest was, no shock there, Prentice. Ester was pretty bummed that Jasper seemed in good spirits taking his flag from Prentice. Ester was hoping that the drama they stirred up would have continued. It was no fun that way.

District Ten's special guest was one of the trumpet players from the Symphony, who Ester assumed must have been the President's nephew. Attila's flag had the Capitol symbol on it in gold, and he looked pretty proud to wear it. Miya's was pink, blue, and yellow, and she gave Emmet a high-five when he wrapped it around her shoulders.

Scorpio Sangster was there for District Eleven. He gave Daria her flag, which had pink, blue, and yellow, with a Capitol symbol printed on it in gold. He didn't have a flag for Ollie, though, who looked around confused until something caused him to perk up. His mentor Chervil had the pink, blue, and yellow flag. Ollie looked surprised as Chervil draped the pan pride flag around his shoulders and said something.

"When you get back, I'll be better. I promise."

Ollie practically jumped on his mentor in a tight hug, and the crowd went crazy. Ester sighed. She hadn't expected this kid from Eleven to steal the show so much. She'd have to keep an eye on him.

District Twelve, as always, was last. Philander Markov was there, and he gave their escort a fist-bump before presenting Jacques a flag with bi pride colors, the District 12 symbol colored with the rainbow. Jacques gave a polite nod of thanks, but it was obvious he was watching Ollie.

Ashlyn was last. She seemed to recoil when Phil offered her the rainbow-colored flag, but in a moment softened up and allowed him to wrap it around her shoulders. When that was done, he took her hand and gave her a twirl, causing her black dress to glow with rainbow-colored coals, to which the crowd went wild. For once, they weren't looking at her scars, Ester noticed. She must like that, because she went around for a solid forty-five seconds before stopping, and when she did the smallest of smiles spread across her face.

The crowd was still cheering, so Ester gave a bright smile and twirled around, allowing her flag to fly. Semper wrapped up in his, looking around nervously and trying to smile.

"Now, I think it's time to get this party started!" came Em's voice over the speakers, and soon the crowd split up. Semper seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go, slipping away into the crowd and disappearing. Music started playing and Ester felt great, giving a thumbs up to Ant and Tartan before bouncing over to Attila.

"Hey! Selfie with me?" she asked, pulling out the camera before he could answer. She made the cutest face she could and took the picture. All she wanted to do was dance at this point. Soon, though, Luna and Dania arrived, and all the fun she'd been having was immediately sucked away.

"I think we should split up!" Dania said, looking over her shoulder as if she had a better place to be.

"Good idea, let's hit as many people as we can!" Miya said, practically having to yell over the music.

"Why don't we meet back here so we can do some dancing?" Ester asked. She was definitely going to get Attila to dance with her, there was no doubt about that.

"Alright, fine!" Luna said.

"Wait, let's get a picture first!" Dania said. "Everybody in!" Ester was really starting to like this whole selfie concept. When the picture was taken, the tributes all separated. Ester wasn't about to let him leave, though. She grabbed his arm.

"Hey Attila! C'mon, dance with me!"

"Now?"

"Yes now! C'mon, one fast and one slow, and if you hate it, then you can go after that." She knew that taking her out for a dance would definitely beat talking to people in his mind. And, of course, she was right. He took her hand and together they went out onto the dance floor. Luna didn't have to know.

The crowds parted for them, and soon they were on the center of dance floor. Attila was actually a pretty good dancer, and soon the two of them were swinging around the floor and living it up. It was the most fun Ester had since getting there. She knew that she should try to catch some of the big names and ask for selfies, but for now she was just going to have fun. She was a teenager, after all!

"You're good at this!" she said happily, to which he didn't respond, as usual. She liked to talk, though, so she just kept going. "I love dancing! Did you ever go to school dances when you were a kid? I did, all the time! Best place for getting some hot stories, y'know?" He spun her around just then without any warning, which caused her to squeak, surprised, but immediately start laughing.

The first tribute to have their big-screen moment was, of course, Chance, who was dancing with Nerio. He definitely knew how to move, and the crowd immediately went crazy, even more so when he looked up and winked. Leave it to the power couples to steal the show.

The next few songs were fast, and Ester and Attila never stopped. It was just too much fun. Ester figured that they had the whole rest of the night to be tributes, but for now they were just going to be teenagers for a while.

It was a while before the song started to slow down, and when they did Ester was somewhat relieved, so much jumping around was starting to take her breath. It wasn't quite a slow dance, but it was a mellow tempo, slow enough that a lot of the couples, including Acacia and Wicke, were holding each other close. Acacia got her big moment, and when she saw herself on the screen she kissed Wicke's cheek, across the bridge of her nose to the other cheek, which caused the girl from District One to laugh and the crowd to applaud.

Attila didn't even ask, he just took Ester's waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I've never danced like this before," she said, feeling her face heat up. "It's fun though. Really mellow, y'know. And I like being close to you too, it's nice. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about how strong you are, but it really makes a girl want to be in your arms." Ester's mouth kept running, and Attila didn't do anything to stop her. "Isn't it a nice night? I love this. I wish it never had to end."

For the first time since they'd gotten on the dance floor, Attila spoke. "Ester Perliam, you talk too much."

She laughed nervously. "Oh, sorry. I mean, it's just kind of what I do, you know? Fills the gap." Her heart was pounding in her chest. What if he didn't like her because she was a chatterbox? She tried to be quiet, focusing on the song… "Now I'm speechless, over the edge I'm just breathless, I never thought that I'd catch this… Lovebug again."

"I've heard this song on the radio before. It's catchy."

He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Sorry," she said, sinking a bit. "Am I annoying?"

"No." She breathed a sigh of relief. "But have you ever considered that there are things that can't be put into words?"

Ester's heart was pounding so hard she thought it would break free of her chest. "No, I mean… Not really…" Luckily, she could change the subject, because she saw the two of them up on the screen.

"Hey, look, we're on the screen," she whispered. She put on her best flirty smile and decided to be bold. She gave him a wink and tapped her cheek, turning her head slightly so he could give it a kiss.

Suddenly, before Ester knew what was happening, her feet were swept off the ground by his strong arms, her head practically upside down from him dipping her, and his lips were pressed against hers. Ester's eyes were wide in shock, and she didn't react until he was pulling back, when she put her hands on his head and guided it back to hers, sparking another kiss, this one much more satisfying. Ester could have lived in the moment, drinking in everything, from the taste of him to the deep, passionate rhythm in which they moved. The crowd's cheering was practically deafening, and when Ester realized that Luna would see, she couldn't help but smirk as her eyes slid shut. She could hear whistles and yells, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the moment, feeling his strong arms holding her up, keeping her from falling, the feeling of his hair between her fingers, everything about it was absolutely perfect. It continued long after the cameras were off of them, but Ester didn't care. She didn't want the moment to end, ever. Soon, though, he brought her back up to a standing position, both of them smiling.

"Well?" he asked, smirking at her.

Ester had no idea what to say. "I'm… I'm speechless."

He gave a short laugh, the smirk staying on his face. "That's what I thought."

She watched him take the brown and gold flower out of his pocket and offer it to her. She gave a quick nod, to which he took her right hand and slid it on her wrist. She put her arm up to admire it under the lights of the city.

"Let's get a drink and rally up some sponsors," she said. He took her hand and they walked to one of the many food and drink stands together.

Ester couldn't see Luna anywhere, and she just smirked.

 _Looks like our rich little Career can't have everything she wants after all._

* * *

-Kaelys Deinard, 18, District 3-

Jasper and June seemed less cold to each other, or at least, that was how it seemed. Kaelys had no idea what was up with those two, but they were certainly going to be covered in sponsor gifts, and seemed pretty approachable and easy to lead. Now that their group was bigger, Kaelys wasn't sur how it was going to go. However, she knew that she had two powerhouse couples with her, that the crowd was crazy about, which was more than any other alliance. It was purely strategic.

It was probably for the best that Ashlyn didn't decide to go with them. Kaelys could see why, of course. Only one was going to come out alive, ultimately. Why risk it? Besides, it wasn't like Kaelys had any chance of Ashlyn loving her back. After all, her own parents didn't love her, so why the hell would this girl from District Twelve? Ashlyn wasn't exactly the loving type. Even if Kaelys respected her, even if she had feelings, they would never have been returned anyways. Nobody would love a rat like her, she knew it. She held onto her flower, still not sure what to do with it. She tried not to focus on the anxiety of nobody loving her, instead channeling it into something positive as best as she could.

Some time had gone by since the party started, and Kaelys had done a lot of talking to a lot of different people while Jasper and June danced. Ollie and Jacques did a mix of both, talking and dancing. Ollie had been chattering on the limo about trying to set up his mentor with the girl that won a year after him. Kaelys left them to do what they pleased. They didn't need to work very hard to get the crowds behind them.

After a while, Kaelys had no idea where any of her allies were. She did see other tributes, though. One by one, they were starting to give tributes their special moments. Kaelys tried to stay aware, though she had no idea when her moment might be. She talked to a couple of the celebrities, doing her best to be polite. She wanted to get as many people as possible to back her and her alliance.

She wandered down the street, looking around at what they had set up. Every once in a while, she was stopped and asked for an autograph, having a conversation with the ones that looked like they had money. She even noticed a little girl dressed up like her chariot outfit, except not so objectifying.

Suddenly she heard a booming voice she recognized shout, "Coming through!" She looked behind her and noticed her District partner weaving through the crowd, a little girl that was giggling like crazy sitting on his shoulders, followed by no less than ten children, all of them younger than twelve. _Leave it to Bec to lead the babysitting parade,_ Kaelys thought, scowling. She couldn't help thinking it was pointless. Who would be kind to someone like Kaelys? Who would spend money on someone like her?

She put on her game face and shook off the thought. She would never live if she kept thinking like that.

It was pretty much dumb luck that she found the President's nephew. They were transitioning from the DJ soundtracks to live music by none other than Upward Voyager. She couldn't resist the opportunity.

Emmet was pretty simple for a Capitolite. He had dark blue hair and wore a pair of navy headphones around his neck, but those were the only physical altercations Kaelys could see.

"Nice to meet you Kaelys! I'm Emmet Mitchell."

"Nice to meet you too," she said.

"I didn't see you out on the dance floor!" he said, to which she shrugged.

"I don't really dance."

"Oh, you're one of those. Yeah, my boyfriend Benjamin is the same way."

"I've been trying to talk to people but not having much luck. Could you maybe… Help introduce me?" Kaelys felt slightly embarrassed to ask, but Ellie suggested that she be seen with big names, and this would definitely help her.

"Oh, of course! C'mon!"

He moved quickly, probably just excited at the opportunity to contribute somehow. He stopped and waved her over to a pavilion, where she followed.

"Kaelys! These are a couple of my best friends!"

Kaelys shook off her nerves as she shook both girls' hands.

"This is Bethany," Em said, smiling. The girl named Beth had a beautiful smile and soft eyes. She was holding onto a leash that contained a large, shaggy dog. "She likes dogs almost as much as humans," Em said.

"More," Beth corrected, and they both laughed. The other of Em's friends was much quieter.

"Oh, yeah, and this is Katie! Never challenge her to a video game." He laughed at that. "She's far too OP."

"Nice to meet you," said Katie.

"You too," said Kaelys.

"You're allied with Ollie, aren't you?" Beth asked, looking particularly interested.

"Yeah, that's right. And the Nine tributes, and Jacques too."

"Ollie's one of my favorites," Beth said. "He's just so cute."

"I don't know, I think that Wicke is going to come out of nowhere for this," Katie said, glancing at her nails, which Kaelys noticed were painted with spades.

"Or Riggs," Beth added.

"Well, we're going to fight really hard to win," Kaelys said. "You'd better not count us out!"

"I definitely won't!" Beth said enthusiastically. She seemed kind, for a Capitolite.

Another Capitolite joined the group. This one was significantly taller than the others, and looked far too cool, for, like, anyone.

"Eyyy it's Kurt! Hey man!"

"Hey, Kaelys right?"

"That's right," she said.

"Don't be intimidated, Kurt's awesome!"

"Trust me, I'm just a wild anime nerd," they responded.

"Anime?" Kaelys didn't really know what that was, she'd only heard vaguely of it.

"Don't worry about it. So, Em's giving you the tour, eh?"

"That's right," Kaelys said.

"Good luck with that," quipped Katie.

"He's just about as excitable as Bourbon here."

"I don't know what you-"

"C'mon, I see Laura!" Before Kaelys knew it, she was being pulled along and had an idea what she was talking about. "Laura!" Emmet shouted.

"Oh, hey Em!" the woman named Laura said, turning around. She was holding the hand of an attractive man.

"Kaelys, this is my friend Laura. She's, like, super _duper_ smart and sciency and stuff. Oh, and that's her husband James."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Kaelys said, shaking both of their hands.

"Have you talked to Ashlyn yet tonight?" Laura asked.

"Oh yeah. She's a bit of a shipper. Scratch that, a lot of a shipper."

"Oh," Kaelys said, laughing. She felt slightly uncomfortable, but tried to mask it. "No, I haven't really seen her around."

"Oh," Laura sighed. "Well, I hope you get to talk sometime."

"I do too." She was being honest.

"Don't count Kaelys out now!" Em said, patting her on the back.

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Laura said.

"Hey look, it's Darius! C'mon!"

Laura just laughed and called out, "See ya!" as Kaelys followed Em.

"Hey!" Em said, waving furiously and bouncing on his feet.

"Oh, hey!"

"Kaelys, this is Darius!"

"Oh, you're allied with the tributes from Nine, aren't you?" Kaelys sighed at this, but nodded.

"That's right."

"Man, I've got a lot of faith in those two! I started out rooting for Jasper, but now I think I'm rooting for June! I dunno, though I love them both."

"They're good allies. Trust me, we're all going to get far by working as a team."

"I definitely believe you!"

"Darius is pretty invested, if you couldn't tell."

"I definitely got that."

Darius laughed, at that. "Yeah, true, ROFL."

"What's-" Kaelys was being dragged again. Sighing, she just waved as Em excitedly pulled her along to where a very pretty girl dressed all in gold had just finished talking to Daria.

"Hey Primavera! Kaelys, this is my friend Primavera!"

"Primavera?"

"It means spring in a different language, called Spanish," she explained.

"Oh, I see. Neat."

Primavera beamed proudly.

"Oh, and how could I forget Mickey?"

"Nice to meet you," Kaelys said, shaking both of their hands.

"Both are very accomplished writers," Em said proudly.

"Oh, I see. Neat."

"You're Bec's District partner," Mickey said. Their accent was unlike Kaelys had ever heard before.

"That's right. I'm going to fight really hard to get back home."

"The competition is looking tough," Mickey said.

"For sure. But we're going to do the best we can."

"You do have good numbers," Primavera said. "Guess we'll have to wait and see. Also, we were having a debate, Em, help us out!"

"Um, alright," Em said, laughing.

"Whose hair is redder: Daria's or Bec's? Definitely Daria's right? I mean, hers is dyed," Primavera said.

"No, definitely Bec's. Judging based off of the color."

"Gee, I don't know," Emmet said. "I guess Daria?"

"I was going to say Bec's," Kaelys said, and all of the Capitolites laughed.

"Good luck with that," Em said, "C'mon, let's see if we can't find the others." He took off, still holding her hand and weaving her through the crowd. He put his hand up and waved to a girl who was chatting with Anakyn. "Hey Eugenia!" he called, to which she waved before he kept taking Kaelys through the crowd.

"Hey! Claudia!" A girl turned around, putting her hand up in a wave. "Meet Kaelys!"

"Hey," Kaelys said, putting out her hand, which the other shook.

"Nice to meet you," she said. Now this girl was definitely far too cool to be friends with Emmet. "You stuck out to me from the very beginning."

"Really?"

"You've got fight in you. I like your flag, too."

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Kaelys smiled.

"It's so good to meet you. I've got your back, girl."

"Hey, thanks." Kaelys had no idea why this girl was going to be kind to her, especially without even knowing her, but she wasn't going to doubt it or ask questions.

"What-"

"Hold that thought, I just found Tigress!" Kaelys was being dragged away again, to which Claudia gave her a understanding expression.

"Hey!"

"Oh, hi Em," she said. She was younger than the other people Kaelys had met.

"Meet Kaelys!"

"Oh, nice to meet you," she said. "My name is Tigress. I come from a family line of tiger-lovers, if you can't tell." The girl was wearing a pair of tiger ears, but other than that seemed pretty normal. "My great-grandmother shared my name. I'm the Great-Grandaughter of Tigress."

"Oh, I see." Kaelys had no idea why Capitolties were so strange, but just nodded and smiled.

"Tigress is super neat. She's young, but she's still really talented and smart!"

"Seems like it," Kaelys said politely.

"Thanks Em," she said, smiling bashfully.

"Oh, there's Arti! C'mon!" Kaelys was silently hoping she was making a good enough impression.

"Hey Arti!"

"Hi Em!"

"Meet Kaelys!"

"Oh, nice to meet you," Arti said, shaking her hand.

"You too."

They heard the sounds of Upward Voyager warming up and Arti gave a wave.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get a good spot, but I'll see you later! C'mon Kat!" together the two girls hurried to the stage area.

"Alright, I think I know where to end the tour," Em said, taking her back to a removed area. "Unless you're dying to see Upward Voyager up close?"

"I'm good," Kaelys said. There was an area back away from all the noise. Kaelys didn't realize how far they'd gone until she looked behind her shoulder and saw the distant lights of the city.

When she looked over, she saw June sitting in a circle with Lux Hastings and Syca Gallen, among others.

"What are they doing?" she asked.

"They're playing a game called Cards Against Humanity."

"Oh. I see. June doesn't look like she's having much fun."

"It's not your typical game," Em said. "Anyways, come over here!" He took her into a virtual reality, and suddenly she was in the woods, surrounded by the tall grass. Em led her through to an open area.

"Hey Rochelle!" Em headed over to a girl that had a… A thing on her shoulder.

"What is that?!" Kaelys asked, alarmed, "Is that a mutt!?"

The girl just laughed. "No, it's part of the game!"

"In Pocket Monsters, you can have your very own creatures and train them to battle and stuff!"

"Yeah, I was just going to battle Platinum here!"

"Hi Em," Plat said.

"Oh, hey! Didn't notice you! Hey, where's my sister?"

"Maggie isn't here!" Rochelle said. "I wanted to see if she'd battle me, but she's…" Rochelle shrugged. "Not here."

"Oh. That's odd. Where would she be?"

"Maybe she's dancing?" Kaelys asked, to which all three of them laughed.

"Maggie doesn't dance unless she's forced to," Em said. "I would have bet my life that she'd be here."

"Yeah, I dunno. Maybe she's going on the Ferris wheel."

"No, she's afraid of heights."

"I dunno then."

"What about Benjy?"

"He's trying his best to catch a Shinx currently," Plat said.

"Really? How's that going?"

"He's trying his very best," Plat said, and they all laughed.

"Maybe Katie will come around and you four can double battle."

"Oh yeah, sounds fun! Toucannon, I choose you!" Kaelys watched as a black bird with a colorful beak appeared out of nowhere. Emmet left the simulation after saying goodbye and Kaelys followed.

"Well, I'm going to go looking for my sister," Em said. "You can come if you want!"

"Um, no thanks." Kaelys thought of that silhouette she'd seen. "I think I'll hang out around here for a bit. Thanks so much for introducing me around, though."

Emmet grinned. "No problem. Good luck in the Games Kaelys."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks." Emmet quickly skipped off in the other direction, but Kaelys walked towards the silhouette beyond the simulation, sitting cross-legged. When Kaelys approached, she knew who it was because of the rainbow embers glowing on her dress. She knew it was a mistake, but she approached.

"Hey." Ashlyn jumped, obviously surprised.

"You scared me." She sounded angry, but relaxed quickly.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to…"

Kaelys turned around to leave, but stopped when Ashlyn said, "Wait."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry. I just… It's instinctive, you know?"

Kaelys smiled a little. "Yeah, I know."

"You can sit with me if you want. You can kind of see the stars from here."

"Do you think you could see them better if you went further down?" Kaelys asked, sitting down.

Ashlyn bit her lip. "Maybe. I just… Liked it here." Kaelys realized that from here, she could still hear the sounds of the party, though they were slightly faint.

"Do you like to listen to the music?"

Ashlyn looked around. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I used to love music. Before…"

"It's alright. You don't have to go there."

Both girls were quiet.

"Three years ago, I would have been in the front row," Ashlyn said, a small bitter laugh escaping her. "I loved Upward Voyager."

"Hm." Kaelys wasn't very good at comforting people. After all, she could barely handle her own problems, let alone someone else's.

"Then, just like that, the music was just sucked right out of me."

"Oh…"

"When Aspen died, he took it with him. I didn't have a reason to sing anymore."

"Oh." Kaelys wasn't sure what to say, and the last thing she wanted to do was say something that would totally mess everything up, something that would cause Ashlyn to hate her and realize that she's a no-good rat. "Aren't there songs about heartbreak and that?"

"Yeah, I guess. But it hurt to sing them. It hurt to sing happy songs, too. You know, singing is just throwing your heart out there, and… I learned what happens when you do that. Never good things."

In those few sentences, Kaelys felt like she understood the other girl miles more. "Oh… I see. I was never really into music so I guess I didn't know that."

"Hm."

"I get what you're saying, though. I feel the same way _." It's pointless to love when you know you'll never be loved back._

"All the others haven't realized it yet."

"No, they haven't."

The girls were quiet as they looked up at the sky. Kaelys, for the first time in her life, closed her eyes and focused on listening to music. She may not have been touching or talking to Ashlyn, but something about being in her presence felt good. Right. She sat there, feeling peaceful. Kaelys thought maybe she could make it eve, tell Ashlyn something about herself, but she just couldn't talk about herself. Where would she begin?

"Would you ever sing again?" The question escapes before Kaelys has time to think twice about it.

Ashlyn gave her a side glance, shrugging a bit. "I don't know."

They sat in silence for a while. Kaelys played with the silver flower around her wrist for a while. She wondered if maybe she should give it to Ashlyn, even as a sign of friendship, maybe that would get more sponsors behind her.

"It's nice," she said instead. "The music, I mean."

"Yeah. I haven't listened to it for a while. I missed it though." Kaelys liked this softer side of Ashlyn. It was just so easy for them to be honest with each other, probably because they, to some extent, understood each other.

"I can imagine." They were both quiet for a bit after that. When Kaelys dared to glance at Ashlyn, she saw the girl from Twelve with her eyes closed, looking almost… Peaceful. They sat like that for a while, looking at what few stars were visible from there, listening to the various songs. Some of them were upbeat, some were slightly slower, some were in the middle. Sometimes they talked between songs, sometimes they didn't. It wasn't until about halfway through that made Kaelys look up.

"Hey guys… I hope you don't mind if I add something that isn't on the roster… I've just, y'know, been thinking about my spot and about some of the people I've had the honor to meet and… I've been moved."

"Okay, we seriously have no idea what he's talking about," Scorpio put in, and the others affirmed.

"I know, but I'm sure you'll all know what I mean when I start it. One of the first songs we ever covered together, in fact. We started playing music to change the world, to touch hearts, to impact people. So… I just… I want to dedicate this song to all of our fans. New and old. I hope that you _all_ never, _ever_ stop following your hearts." When Kaelys gave Ashlyn a side-eye, she saw the other girl looking behind her shoulder, frowning, as Phil started to play the piano.

"Hey Jude, don't' make it bad, sing a sad song and make it better…

Remember, to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better…"

Kaelys heard a small sniffle beside her and looked over, concerned.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine," Ashlyn said, quickly crossing her arms. Her eyes filled with tears, though, and Kaelys didn't know what to do. She put her arm around Ashlyn's shoulder tentatively. She wasn't sure if Ashlyn even wanted her there.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kaelys asked.

 _Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better._

"No," Ashlyn said quietly. "You can stay."

They sat like that for a while, Kaelys's arm lightly around Ashlyn's shoulders.

"M-My brother loved this song," Ashlyn said quietly. She was steeling herself, doing whatever she could to prevent from crying.

"Would you like to dance?" Kaelys wondered if that would get her mind off of it. Ashlyn nodded a bit, standing up and allowing Kaelys to put her hands lightly on her shoulders. Ashlyn put her hands on Kaelys's waist, gently, lightly. The two of them stayed like that, swaying gently.

"I can h-ear his voice," Ashlyn said quietly. "H-e sang this song to me when I w-was scared of coming out to our parents and older sister."

"Oh…" Kaelys felt horrible. This girl, that shut everyone out, the girl that so many people were afraid of, wasn't all that scary at all. She just used her anger to cope with the tragedy that befell her. She used her anger to keep anything like it from happening again. She lost everyone who loved her, and was left with no one left for her. No one except for... "I… I don't know if I can…" Kaelys stepped back, and Ashlyn let her go.

"Huh?"

"I… I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry for… I don't know. You just… Deserve the world and all you have is… The girl that nobody could possibly love." Kaelys looked away, embarrassed that she let herself get this close.

"What makes you say that?" Ashlyn asked quietly.

"It's a fact," Kaelys said quietly. She couldn't hide her sadness.

"No it's not…"

"You don't have to be kind to me," Kaelys said. "You don't have to try and spare my feelings. I know that I'm unlovable. My own parents didn't care enough to keep me, why would anyone… Love me?"

"Kaelys…"

"I told you, you don't have to spare me. I already know that I'm going to be alone forever. I was born alone, that's how I'll die too."

"That's not-"

"Dammit, just be honest with me! I can take it!" Her frustration was pushing through. She didn't want to give herself false hope, and the more Ashlyn tried to be nice, the more false hope she was getting. Kaelys couldn't help it. She couldn't control how her heart hurt.

Ashlyn had fire in her eyes as she retorted angrily. "Fine, you want me to be fucking honest!? I'll just fucking be honest! I haven't loved in so long and I didn't think I would ever love again but… But dammit, you're different! Alright? I… I could see myself loving you, alright?! And I think we both know that now isn't the time or the place for that shit! There, you wanted me to be fucking honest, well that's me being honest!"

Kaelys was stunned.

"You think that anyone would love the girl that lost everything?!" Ashlyn shouted, her voice strained as tears poured out of her eyes. She hung her head, embarrassed. "Who the hell would love the girl whose face is fucking mauled!? Who could love anyone like that!?"

The words came out before Kaelys knew what she was saying. "I could."

There was nothing but silence between them until the band started an instrumental slow-dance song, to which Ashlyn held out her hand. In it, she held her black flower, with the vibrant, fire-colored inside.

"I want you to take this."

Kaelys took hers off. "And you can have mine. But… Are you really, really sure?"

"I'm really really sure." Ashlyn slid it on Kaelys's right hand, and Kaelys did the same. This time, when they danced, Ashlyn held her waist and Kaelys wrapped her arms around her neck. She knew that it had to be messed up, that they would fall so hard so fast, but in that moment, it didn't matter. She was still slightly in shock about what happened.

"Wait, this is an instrumental of a song I know."

"Why would they take out the words?"

"Probably because it's vulgar."

"Vulgar?" Kaelys raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"How so?"

"Well…" Ashlyn bit her lip, and instead of answering, she sang when the chorus came on. "Here's to us, here's to love, all the times that we fucked up, here's to you, fill the glass… 'Cause the last few days have kicked my ass! So let's give them hell, wish everybody well, here's to us…" She had a beautiful voice, the kind that Kaelys could listen to for hours. She listened to the song, the lyrics, the calming voice of the girl that was meant only for her. It was calming, peaceful, but at the same time, Kaelys's heart was pounding, so hard she was sure that Ashlyn could feel it. She'd never in her life felt this way. It was great, but also amazing, also terrifying.

Kaelys had never felt so alive. She went to crime to try and feel alive, and it worked, but… Nothing made her feel so goddamn alive. She loved it. She was seeing things through a whole different pair of eyes.

"If they give you hell, tell them to fuck themselves, here's to us…" That made Kaelys smile. Ashlyn was so talented, an amazing belter, of course, and Kaelys felt honored to spend this time with her. For those few minutes, there was absolutely nothing but the two of them.

Afterwards, the band played another slow song, and the girls danced quietly.

"Thank you," Ashlyn said quietly.

"What?"

"For giving me a reason to sing again."

Kaelys closed her eyes, sighing contently. "Of course."

 _It's all going to be okay_ , she told herself. For the first time, Kaelys was able to convince herself that was true.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Did this chapter turn out SOOO long? Yes. Did I go and amuse myself? Yes, definitely XD**_

 _ **The songs I used in this chapter are Lovebug by the Jonas Brothers, Hey Jude by the Beatles, and Here's To Us by Halestorm.**_

 _ **So, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of the party. And that means, two more chapters and then we're in the Games! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! That's… Crazy. And next chapter is going to be the ACTUAL AND LITERAL DEATH OF ME I CAN'T EVEN AHHHHHH!**_

 _ **So, I have no idea who will be bloodbaths and I only have a very, very vague picture of what the Arena's going to be. So… Lol, I've got some work to do. But first, there are still more feels to be had! I think I'm going to keep a list of the deleted scenes I want to write but hold off on it until later.**_

 _ **Basically, I want to get this story to the Arena by the end of summer. But, I also realize that even if I update fast, not everyone's got time this summer to read my monsters XD So after I get to the Arena I will take at least a month of a break from this story to give everyone time to catch up and review before the bloodbath and myself time to get back into the swing of college life. During that time, though, I'll focus on deleted scenes and drawings for the blog, so I won't totally lose touch with the story, I just won't update for a while.**_

 _ **Basically, the only tributes that are insta-kills are the ones whose submitters have disappeared/I know aren't reading. If I know that you're reading or intend to read, your tribute won't be killed just because you didn't review. However, the vast, VAST majority of my submitters for this story are definitely reading, so there will have to be some bloodbaths with loyal, reading submitters, which is going to kill me because I still have no idea who I'm going to kill early because I have 24 amazing, well-developed characters, all of which have such amazing potential… RIP Me, basically.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: What did you think of the Capitolites in this chapter? I was very inspired for each one of them, that's for sure ;) If you want to try and guess them all and the inspiration for them, I'll say that the ones I wouldn't expect most people to guess are Maggie and Benjamin.**_

 _ **Anyways, can't wait to see you all next chapter, where Semper and Riggs will finish up the party!**_


	30. Semper & Riggs: Makes Me Happy (Party 3)

-Semper Celandine, 15, District 8-

It had been an… Interesting night for Semper.

Of course, he hadn't taken any of Tartan's advice. Tartan was too busy with Ester by now to care much for Semper, anyways. She was actually going to listen to him. Semper didn't need to be any farther gone than he already was, thanks. He'd heard that Ester was going to try and spread things about him, but so far it had been alright.

Dinner with the President had gone well, he thought. He hadn't said anything totally outrageous or cringe-worthy. He didn't do much dancing, the floor was far too crowded for his taste.

Semper was pretty nervous leaving the limo. He took the pride flag he'd been given with a polite nod, but his mind wasn't there. No, he was looking through the crowd, trying to find the boy who promised to meet him later.

Yeah, so maybe Semper hid in the closet as soon as they were released from dinner. He was just getting so nervous being surrounded by so many people that wanted to talk to him. People like Ester handled it like a champ, but that wasn't really in Semper's nature. However, little did he know that he might have made the most important alliance he possibly could there.

As soon as the tributes were released into the city, Semper beelined. He ducked down and was covered by his pride flag, sticking close to the burgundy-haired boy that took his arm and led him through the crowd. Semper was nervous, but the grip on his arm kept him down-to-earth as he followed his new friend. It was just dumb luck that Semper's chosen hiding spot was already occupied. They hadn't talked much, but enough to understand each other. Neither of them liked the crowds, and the noise, man, the noise, it was horrible. They'd agreed to meet up for phase two. Semper had no idea where they were going, but he trusted the other boy to find somewhere nobody else could go.

They walked briskly through the crowd, ducking under pride flags to keep from being stopped by anyone. It worked, and eventually they were inside a building with nobody inside but a tired-looking receptionist who barely noticed them. Semper ended up in an elevator, following until they ended up in an apartment together.

"Alright, we should be good here," Numitor said, shrugging off the flag from his shoulders. Semper did the same. "Nobody can bother us."

Semper kept the flag wrapped around his shoulders, giving the Capitolite a grateful smile. "Thanks. There are just… So many people…"

"No, I totally get it." The noise, muffled by the closed windows and walls, was still enough to be heard up on the tenth floor apartment. "It's just… Too much."

"You were sent from Heaven to help me, I'm sure of it."

That got Numitor to laugh. He didn't smile much, but when it did, it was really charming. "I don't know about _that_."

"I have no idea what I would have done, though. I was about to panic just when we were walking here."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Thanks." Now that he was over his relief and gratefulness, he quickly lost whatever confidence had been there before. He was usually so shy and quiet, it was odd to be anything other than that. Luckily for him, Numitor seemed to be the same way. Neither of them spoke when they were hiding in the closet together. There was just kind of this silent understanding between them. Because Semper was good at reading people, and Numitor seemed to be the same way, they didn't really have to talk much.

Instead of talking, Semper looked around the apartment in which they'd ended up. It was a small place, but looked pretty cozy. There was a small living area, a kitchen attached to it. There was also another room, probably a bedroom, and a modestly-sized bathroom. He tried to think of something to say to break the awkward silence that existed between them.

"Do you live here?" It was a stupid question, and as soon as he asked it, his ears burned.

"Oh, no. I mean, I used to, sometimes. My Dad had this apartment, it's right near his dance studio. Or, um, what used to be his studio."

"Oh…"

"Yeah… Even after he and my Mom… Died… We still haven't sold it."

"Oh…" Semper felt pretty stupid just saying _Oh_ like an idiot. The truth was that he wasn't much of a talker, and being in the presence of a Capitolite was more than a little intimidating. Not to mention that said Capitolite was… Oh shit. He knew he shouldn't get lost in his thoughts, so he quickly added, "I'm sorry."

Numitor sighed a bit and shrugged. "It's been… Um… Rough." More awkward silence.

Semper wasn't sure if he wanted to reopen the wound, but before the moment was lost, he mumbled, "I… Lost mine too."

Numitor looked up. "Oh." There was a brief pause before he added, "I'm sorry."

There seemed to be a new understanding between them. They both stood around awkwardly, neither speaking up, for a solid minute. Neither was really sure what to do.

Numitor was the next to speak. "Well, um, we can… Like… Hang out. And, like, sit down."

"Oh. Yeah." Semper took a seat on the comfortable couch, and Numitor sat on a chair. "Thanks."

"Do you… Want to read something, or something? I mean, we've got lots of books here…"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure." Semper did like to read, and didn't have much opportunity to do so back home. This would be a nice break.

"What do you like to read?"

Semper shrugged a bit. "Um, I don't read much. So… Whatever you like."

Numitor got up and walked to a bookshelf. He pulled out two books, one for him and one for Semper, before bringing them back and handing one to Semper. "I really like science fiction."

"Oh, I've never read a science fiction before," he said, taking the book. "Thanks."

"Sure." Numitor sat back down with his book. Semper looked at the cover art for a second, outer space something, before opening the book. They read in silence for a while, nothing but the pulses of bass and muffled music of Em's DJing down below to break it.

"Where are you?"

Semper looked up. Numitor had an excited look in his eyes, a kind of look that Semper hadn't seen before. He felt his ears burn when he thought about how… Endearing it was.

"Um, I'm still in Chapter One."

"Oh. Okay. Let me know when you meet Azriel."

"Alright, sure." Semper kept reading.

It wasn't long before Numitor asked, "Have you gotten to chapter three yet?"

"No, I'm towards the end of one."

"Oh, okay." He shifted positions on the chair. Semper didn't think he was a slow reader, but apparently he was. He kept going, though. It really was interesting, and Semper was enjoying it a lot.

"Let me know when you get to the end of five, too."

"Sure."

"Am I being annoying? Sorry, I just… Really like this book. Nobody I know has read it so I'm excited to share it…"

"No, you're fine." Semper smiled a bit. "It's cute." As soon as the cursed word escaped his mouth, he cursed himself as his ears burn. He didn't want to make this weird. If he were to get thrown out by Numitor, he'd have absolutely nowhere to go.

"Um… Thanks…" Numitor glanced down at his own book awkwardly.

Semper glanced up. "Do you just want to read with me?"

Numitor blinked. "Huh?"

"You know. We both read it. That way you'll know where I am. Unless you wanted to read by yourself…" His voice trailed off at the end there. Semper wasn't used to talking so much. Usually he just lived his life under the radar, in the shadows of others. It was a bit odd to be with one person paying attention to him and only him.

"No, that's fine. I think I'm going to take my contacts out first, though…"

Semper was surprised at that. Numitor's eyes were brown, and Semper didn't think they were contacts. They just looked so natural, and pretty. He just nodded.

"You can't laugh, though," Numitor said.

"I won't." Semper put up a hand, "I promise."

Numitor went to the bathroom, a certain spring in his step. When Numitor came back, he sat down on the couch next to Semper. Up close, Semper could see his eyes, the left a bright blue and the right a deep brown.

"Yeah, these are, like, my real eyes."

"They're…" Semper bit his tongue. "Nice."

"They're weird." Semper pretended not to notice the way Numitor's ears went red. "But thanks."

Semper held the book so that they could both see it. Not the most efficient way to read, but that didn't mean it wasn't fun. Numitor was always ready for the page turn before Semper was halfway done, but that didn't matter. Soon, he was able to get lost in the world of living in outer space, fighting aliens, and searching for a fictional element that would save the planet. Halfway through, they switched, so Numitor would hold the book and turn the pages. It was an interesting read, and before Semper noticed he was laying his head on Numitor's shoulder. As soon as he realized, he sat up, feeling the heat spread from his shoulders to his ears, nothing but the mortifying heat of embarrassment.

"Sorry," he squeaked.

"It's… Fine." Numitor was blushing too. They wordlessly kept reading, Semper's heart pounding with nerves. Soon, he was able to get lost again in the climax of the book, reading the intense action and picturing battles with lasers in his mind in zero gravity. When the book was over, Semper couldn't help but feel a little bummed that there wasn't more to read.

"What did you think?" Numitor asked.

"It's really good," Semper said. "I thought Azriel was a goner for real!"

"Yeah, I did too, the first time I read it. There's a lot of really cool foreshadowing in there, too, every time I read it again I catch something else really cool about it."

Semper nodded, feeling more enthusiastic than he had about almost anything in his life.

"Well, what now?"

"Hm… I don't know.'

"Have you ever played checkers?"

"Checkers? No, I haven't."

"Oh, I can teach you that then, if you want?"

Semper nodded. "Sure."

Together, the two of them walked to a table where the game was set up. Numitor went through the rules, and Semper listened intently. He caught himself zoning out thinking about Numitor's eyes, and prayed that he didn't notice the heat of embarrassment that brushed across his cheeks.

"Got it?"

"Um, could you explain about kings again?"

"Yeah, sure. Until you get kinged, you can only move forwards. But once you get kinged, you can move and jump forwards and backwards."

Semper nodded. He played black pieces, and Numitor played red. The first game consisted of Numitor suggesting different ways he could move and Semper doing his best to follow. After that, though, the games started to get more intense. Semper liked the logic behind it, and the strategic nature of planning out each move, carefully, carefully. The more time went on, the more determined he became to beat Numitor. Each game became more and more competitive, and soon Semper couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.

It was the sixth game, a grueling match of blood, sweat, tears, and self-sacrifice, before Semper triumphantly cornered Numitor's last piece and jumped it.

"I'm impressed," he said, grinning.

"So am I," Semper said quietly. For the first time since the fire, he couldn't stop smiling. His smile widened when Numitor laughed.

"Want something to eat? I can make some popcorn."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Numitor went to the kitchen area, and Semper watched him, smiling. He heard the popping noises in the microwave and suddenly realized that ever since arriving into the apartment, the voices had been silent. The fire had all but disappeared. He hadn't felt this good in… God, in _months_. It was just so easy to forget that anything bad had ever happened to him when he was too focused on not sounding like a complete fucking idiot in front of this _totally_ out-of-his-league Capitolite. And beating his pretty ass at checkers.

Soon, he came back with a bowl of steaming popcorn and a small bowl of a dark brown liquid.

"They're probably selling popcorn down there, too, but it's really cheap and not nearly as good." He put the bowl down, still smiling.

"What's that?"

"Oh. It's chocolate sauce. I like to dip my popcorn in it. A bit weird, but… I'm a bit weird, I guess." He dipped the popcorn in the chocolate and popped it in his mouth.

"Can I try?"

"Really?"

Semper shrugged. "I've liked everything I've had since coming here. Why not?"

"Sure." Numitor held out the bowl for Semper to dip, and he was pleasantly surprised when he popped it in his mouth.

"It's good!"

"You think so?"

"Yeah, definitely." Soon the bowl of chocolate was put in the middle of the table for the boys to share. Neither talked for a while, but this time the silence was comfortable, not awkward.

"This can be, like, our thing," Numitor said. "Popcorn and chocolate sauce."

Semper looked up. "Huh?" He couldn't help but laugh a little at how red Numitor was, like a tomato, but he tried to hide it in a cough.

"Um, I don't know," he said quickly.

"That's disgustingly cliché," Semper said finally. He felt like his old self again, somewhat. He may have known that he would never fully be that person, but for the first time he felt somewhat close. "I'm not complaining though." Now they were both blushing, but they exchanged a smile. They continued to eat in silence, and another game of checkers started without either of them saying anything. That went on until the door opened slowly and quietly. When Semper looked up, he was surprised to see the District Seven escort there. Anakyn looked just as surprised to see them there.

"Numi Mouse. I thought you were down with Alchemy."

"Nope."

Anakyn's gaze went to Semper, who sank in his seat. There was a tense, awkward silence between the three of them.

"Hi Semper. I'm Anakyn. I escort for District Seven." He had a soft look in his eyes, but Semper couldn't help feeling shy.

"Hi," he mumbled quietly. The awkward silence between them returned, just as tense as ever.

"Numi Mouse is a nickname I got as a baby," Numitor explained quietly to Semper, who must have looked curious. "I learned how to open cabinet doors and drawers at an exceptionally young age. When my parents had meetings and stuff, I always used to steal things. Files, papers, pens, anything left lying around I would take. When Ani and I were kids he would make a game out of it. Trying to hide things where I wouldn't find them. It was pretty annoying to my parents, though." He laughed a bit, but now his expression was sad. Semper understood with every fiber of his being how it felt. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but words didn't come. Anakyn's gaze was just too intimidating for him to put words together. Instead he gently nudged Numitor's feet under the table with his own.

"Yeah. He was a lot to handle." Anakyn ruffled his hair. Maybe Semper shouldn't have been surprised that they knew each other, but it was hard to wrap his head around. After all, Anakyn was really famous, in the Districts and the Capitol. And Numitor… He was just a kid. Or, that was how he seemed. Just an average, approachable kid.

Anakyn's outfit was very unconventional. The other escorts were all dolled up, so fancy and such, but his outfit was unique. It gave the idea of a fallen angel, or some kind of bird. Being right there in his presence was pretty terrifying. He glanced back at Numitor awkwardly.

"Oh, um, am I interrupting something?" Anakyn asked, and both of the others blushed bright red. Neither knew what to say, so Anakyn just laughed a bit and ruffled Numitor's hair again. "I'll come back later. I should get back to the party anyways. They'll be wondering where I went." He ducked away quickly, closing the door behind him.

Semper was just confused, though slightly relieved that he was gone. "Why would he come up here?"

"Um…" Numitor looked around the room. "Probably just to get a break for the paparazzi. Y'know how it is."

"Oh. I see." They continued their game.

"The apartment has a balcony," Numitor said, after he successfully won and taken his title back. Want to see what's going on down below?" Semper nodded, and the two of them opened the glass door to step out onto the balcony. It was small, but nice. It was a long way down, but a really interesting view. The lights of the city were really pretty and the people were much less intimidating when they looked so small, indistinguishable. The music was loud, but not too bad from where they were, a fair distance.

"Wow," he said quietly. "The view is amazing."

"Yeah, it's nice," Numitor said, smiling. They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the music.

"Next up," Emmet said into the microphone, "Is fifteens' choice! Everyone take a partner and dance!"

It was a simple, mild song. Semper was tapping his feet when suddenly Numitor asked quickly, "Will you dance with me?"

"Me?" _That was a stupid question_. Semper was just a little bit shocked, that was all. How would someone like Numitor want to dance with him!? His heart was pounding, but he stood up, nodding and taking Numitor's hand.

He put his hands on Tor's shoulders, and the other boy blushed as he lightly put his on Semper's waist.

"My Dad tried to teach me how to dance," Numitor said. "But I was never really good at it."

"Well, neither am I."

As the song went on, they both relaxed. Semper ended up wrapping his arms lightly around Tor's neck, and Tor brought him a bit closer.

"I'm glad you found me," Numitor said quietly. By now Semper just couldn't look away from his eyes.

"I'm glad too." His heart was pounding and he could feel heat rise to his ears and face. Neither of them talked much after that, because neither were sure what to say. It was nice, but at the same time, it was also terrifying. Semper wasn't sure the last time he felt such a strong connection with someone. The more time went on, though, the more comfortable they got, which made the experience even better than it had been.

"Someone help me, help me please… Is the answer up above? How can I, oh how can I tell them… This is not a puppy love?"

The song seemed to be ending, but for once Semper didn't want it to. Numitor's face was bright red when he spoke.

"Weird question, can I kiss you?

Semper froze for a second, his heart beating faster and harder, so fast he was sure it was going to rip out of his chest any second. Once again, he had no idea what to say. He nodded quickly, though. There was a pause, both of them still, trying to get the courage to make the first move. In a flash, though, Numitor closed the distance between them. The first kiss was quick, barely more than a peck, and Semper felt too much giddy excitement to worry about being embarrassed for the second one, sweeter and less terrifying than the first. Neither of them could stop smiling, and the next time they sat down, they were still holding hands.

Neither of them had a single clue what to say. What do you say in a moment like that? Hell if either of them knew. Semper felt like thanking him, but was pretty sure that a thank you wasn't the right response to a kiss. His heart was still pounding, though, he felt a little like he was flying he was so happy. It had been so long since he felt that way.

Instead, the boys just sat together, flags draped around their shoulders, holding hands and watching the party below them from the tenth floor balcony of the apartment. Semper was sure that Ester was dancing and having a jolly good time, but he was having a jolly good time too. He watched the Ferris wheel light up as people went around it.

Suddenly, Semper remembered the device in his pocket for taking pictures. He hadn't used it at all, but thought maybe he should at least take one picture, even if he didn't like pictures of himself.

"Hey…" he pulled it out. "Should we take a picture together maybe?"

"Oh… Sure. Can you do it? I've never used this before."

"Sure." Numitor took the device and held it out, both of them smiling. In a moment of joy, Semper decides to copy something Ester did to him in their first picture.

"Bunny ears?" Numitor asks, laughing. "You're like my eleven-year-old brother."

"Ester did it to me first."

"Alright, let's do a real one now."

"Fine, fine." The smile was genuine.

After that, they sat together, watching the party as Upward Voyager took the stage. Semper rested his head on Numitor's shoulder, enjoying the moment. The music was nice and it helped him forget about the voices and the sadness that had been plaguing him for so long.

Before he knew it, the band announced that they were playing the last couple songs of the night. The first one was a slow song, much more serious than the first one they danced to. Silently, without even speaking, they stood back up and danced.

It was there, Numitor's arms around his waist, pulling him close, Semper's arms around his shoulders, that he realized what this was. He was going into the Games. He was probably going to die there.

Numitor seemed to realize it too, because he pulled Semper closer.

"Can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are… It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer, that we got this far…"

Numitor's eyes were misty. "This is our song," he said quietly.

Semper's heart broke at the sight of him so upset. "Okay," he said. "Our song." He closed his eyes and rested his head on Numitor's chest, listening to his beating heart, feeling him breathe, listening to the words Phil was singing. _Our song_. The gentle summer breeze, blew the flag that was tied around his neck gently, and the rainbow flag around Numitor's. Soon, Numitor's breathing became more unsteady. Semper had no idea how to comfort him. There really was no way to.

"You have to come home," Numitor whispered. "Please."

Semper knew he couldn't promise anything. He just held on tight. "I'll try."

Numitor was mouthing along to the words of the song, Semper could tell he was trying to keep his breathing steady, keep the tears from coming.

"There's a rhyme and reason… To the wild outdoors…

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours…"

Numitor let out a small sob, and Semper bit his lip to keep from crying. He'd done a pretty good job at holding it all in up to this point. He never wanted this moment to end. He never wanted to let go.

Semper rested his forehead against Numitor's, taking in the opportunity to look into his eyes while he still could.

"Thanks for everything," he said quietly, even as the last song of the night started, something upbeat and bright. The boys didn't move, though. Semper didn't have the heart to. "I had a great time. Best night in… A while."

"Same," Numitor said quietly.

"It's… Late, but…" Semper let go to reach up and undo the purple and red rose that was pinned to his shirt. "I want you to have this."

"Oh… Thanks." Numitor took it and Semper helped him pin it on his shirt before reaching up to wipe the tears off his cheeks.

"I'll do my best to get back, okay?"

Numitor nodded a bit, more tears threatening to pour out of his eyes. Semper kissed his forehead gently.

There was really nothing left to say.

The song ended far too quickly. "Tributes, please report back to your assigned limos for transportation back to the Tribute Building." Those dreaded words.

Numitor kissed Semper one last time, a kiss that lasted longer than the others, before they walked slowly back to where the limos were waiting for them, holding hands under the flags. By the way that people stared at them, though, Semper was sure they knew. It was more than a little uncomfortable, and Semper might have been afraid if he didn't have Numitor's hand holding his own, squeezing occasionally.

Semper's heart broke when he had to let. He gave one last look behind his shoulder, to where Numitor was standing nestled in between Lux Hastings and Cupid, the Head Scientist of the Games. When he got in, he could feel the other fifteen-year-olds staring at him. Daria wolf-whistled and Semper realized that everyone knew, for sure they all knew. His face went bright red.

As the limo started to leave, Semper popped up to look out the sunroof. He found Numitor and gave him a sad wave.

Numitor put his hand up in a sad wave and the limo drove away, until he became nothing but a speck in the crowd of people off in the distance.

* * *

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs was having a great time, even if he couldn't get Gian to dance with him. He spent a lot of time on the dance floor, talking to Capitolites. Plus, Agalia was great. Riggs started off pretty jealous of her, as she and Gian looked spectacular together, but it turned out she was just a cool girl. She even let Riggs take her out for a dance or two.

Riggs had talked to Capitolites, flirted with some like Gian said to, and danced with more than he could count. He loved to move, and this was totally up his alley.

It was about half an hour in, when he was getting pride flags painted on his face, that he noticed Acacia sitting next to him.

"This is, without a doubt, the best pride ever!" she was saying happily to the Capitolite that was painting her face.

"You've been to multiple prides?" he asked, impressed.

"That's right! District Two has pride every year and I've been going since I was just a kid."

"Woah, that must be amazing! I wish District Six had pride."

"None at all?!" Acacia looked shocked.

"Not that I know of."

"Wow, that's so lame!" she said.

"Definitely. Well, Six is kind of lame, y'know."

"Yeah, but you and Desiree seem interesting at least."

Riggs laughed. "Thanks."

"Careful, don't want your flags to smudge," the lady said.

"Oh, sorry." Riggs hated sitting still, though. As soon as it was over, he was back up on his feet. He made a mental note to start Pride in District Six when he won the Games.

"Hey, I saw you on the dance floor," Acacia said, "You've got really good moves!"

"Oh, thanks!" Riggs said. He had to admit, even though she was a trained killer, she had a tremendous amount of bubbly energy.

"But not as good as me!"

"Um, excuse you, I'm a great dancer."

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" she grinned mischievously at him and he grinned back.

"Wait!" Riggs took out his camera. "Maybe we should selfie first?"

She laughed. "Yeah, sure." He put on his best smile, and Acacia widened her eyes as he took the picture.

"Alright! To the dance floor?"

"Oh, definitely to the dance floor!" she led the way, her short skirt flowing behind her as her boots hit the ground heavily, flag waving behind her. As she ran, she shouted, "FOR WICKE!"

Riggs followed suit, letting his flag fly behind him as he shouted gleefully, "FOR GIAN!" Acacia and Riggs danced for a while, each of them trying to outdo the other. It was a tremendous amount of fun, both of them dancing like crazy and laughing through pants. The Capitolite crowd formed a circle around them, encouraging it. Soon, Acacia grabbed Wicke's hands and pulled her in, spinning her around and making her laugh.

Riggs was not about to be outdone. "I'LL BE RIGHT BACK! THIS ISN'T OVER YET!" he shouted over the music. He went straight to the pavilion, where Gian was studying something with Agaila. Or, well, trying to. Riggs was greeted by a dog that was wagging his tail.

"Bourbon, wait!" a girl said, going to get him. He jumped up on Riggs, panting happily. Riggs grinned, petting the dog and letting him lick his hands. "Sorry!" said the Capitolite.

"It's perfectly fine!" Riggs said happily, "I love dogs!"

"Are you going to ask Gian to dance!?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes I am!" Riggs said happily.

"Oh, okay! I'll leave you to it!"

"Wait! What's your name first?"

"Oh, I'm Beth. This is Bourbon."

"Nice to meet you! Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Beth went back over to a table with a couple other Capitolites as Riggs rushed over to Gian's table.

"Hey! Gian! C'mon, I'm having a dance-off with Wickacia and I need you to help me beat them!"

"I'M STUDYING!" Gian yelled over the music.

"NO HE'S NOT!" Agalia yelled back.

"Just one dance!" Riggs said, "Please!"

"GO ON GIAN!" Agalia said, raising her eyebrows.

"FINE, BUT JUST ONE DANCE!" he got up and bit his lip, trying not to let himself smile as Riggs took his hand. Riggs's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was so excited… This was ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

He broke back into the circle, winking at Acacia before taking Gian's hand and spinning him around. The crowd was cheering and going wild, and Riggs's heart was pounding as he danced around euphorically.

"Looks like we've got a dance-off, folks!" Emmet said over the microphone. "Let's see what the tributes have got!"

Acacia and Wicke were first, the crowd cheered as they jumped around and spun and laughed together. They seemed so in-sync, it would be hard to beat them for sure. Acacia looked absolutely radiant.

"Next up, Gian and Riggs!" the camera was on them, so Riggs danced around. Soon, he barely cared about the cameras. Gian was smiling, and laughing, and twirling around and holding Riggs's hands, and his brown eyes were alight with excitement. His laugh was amazing. Riggs was having the time of his life. The crowd cheered and applauded.

"Alright, alright!" Em turned down the music. "So, based on applause… Who thinks Acacia and Wicke were better dancers?" the crowd was so loud. Riggs was panting, his heart was pumping, and he felt absolutely amazing. "How about Gian and Riggs?" The audience absolutely roared. Riggs thought it was so loud his hearing would be damaged.

"I think we have a winner!" Em said. "Congratulations… Riggs and Gian!" the crowd roared. Acacia stuck her tongue out at them, but was a good sport anyways, taking Wicke and dancing with her. "And in honor of their Victory, our next song will be a mentor's dance! Tributes find your mentors and get them out here on the floor!"

Riggs, panting, grinned at Gian, who was still smiling. "Ready for a second dance?" he asked.

"I suppose," Gian sighed, but he couldn't control his smile. Riggs took him by the hands and spun him happily.

"'Oh don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me,' I said 'you're holding back,' she said 'shut up and dance with me!'"

Acacia and Vesperus were having fun together, and the District Nine team was dancing in a big square, which the crowd loved. Desiree was dancing with Wolf Jansing because she couldn't find her mentor. Ester was dancing with Tartan, which was a surprise. Miya was dancing with Arthur, while Attila was with Roxanne. Bec and Dyna danced with Tav and Ellie, as Kaelys wasn't around and neither was Kelly. Some of the other mentors were harder to convince. It took Chance, Cartier, _and_ Nerio to drag Port out onto the dance floor. Helen, Anakyn, and Syca all danced in a District Seven triangle, but Persei wasn't with them. Luna was nowhere to be found, neither was Michael. Nona and Dania were laughing as they danced, even Blessing and Wicke looked like they were having fun. Ollie and Chervil were dancing together, both of them laughing and having fun, which was a surprise to Riggs. Daria was dancing with Bonaventure. Riggs didn't see Semper anywhere either. Jacques danced with Braelyn and Allegra, both. Riggs noticed that her fiancé Hoke wasn't there, and thought back to when he met Wolf and the drummer offhandedly mentioned something about he and Anakyn _accidentally_ locking him in his dressing room. He chuckled a little bit.

The song ended far too soon for Riggs's taste. He was just getting started.

"Will you take my flower now?" Riggs asked. He had offered it numerous other times, but Gian hadn't accepted it. He didn't seem to understand that Riggs wasn't going to stop until he took it, no matter what. Riggs wanted him to have it. Gian had Riggs's heart, and he wasn't going to give the blue and gold flower away to anyone else.

"No," Gian said. "Give it to someone strategic."

Riggs sighed. He had no idea why Gian wouldn't just accept the goddamn thing. He wasn't going to stop, and by now he was sure Gian knew that. He was persistent, that was for sure. Instead he just huffed.

"Good luck with-"

"It appears we have a challenger for the title of best dancers!" Em's voice boomed.

"That's right!" Jasper's voice boomed over the speakers. "Riggs, June and I challenge you and Gian!"

Riggs grinned. "Ready for a third dance?" he asked.

"I need coffee," Gian sighed. "Anything to defeat stupid District Nine."

Riggs grinned as he took Gian's hands, keeping him from leaving the dance floor.

"So much for getting any studying done."

Gian and Riggs somehow got more applause than the Nine couple, but their title was taken away when they were challenged by Chance and Nerio.

"Will you go on the Ferris wheel with me?" Riggs asked. "Please?" he widened his eyes slightly.

"Fine. We should take Agalia too, though."

Riggs sighed. Agalia was lucky she was cool. "Fine."

The Ferris wheel was amazing, and they had the best view of the city. Riggs took out the camera and was sure to take plenty of selfies. He got Agalia in on some, and they made Gian get in them too.

Riggs spent the rest of the night looking for other celebrities to selfie with. Some, like Wolf, were easy to find and more than happy to take a selfie with him. Riggs liked this whole selfie thing. He knew he looked good, after all. He'd taken plenty of pictures, from the first District Six picture taken by Piccolo, to another D6 Crew selfie taken by Jovia, to pictures with Desiree and Gian, his prep team and stylist, Jovia, and pretty much everyone he talked to at the party.

He found Phil with Anakyn and the conductor of the Capitol Symphony, Benjamin, all of who were in the picture. He found Joule sitting by himself and headed over.

"Hey Joule!"

"Hey."

"Isn't the party amazing!?" Joule shrugged his shoulders. Riggs sighed a bit, noticing that he was definitely upset. "Hey, don't worry… It'll be alright."

"Easy for you to say."

Riggs wasn't sure how to respond.

"Sorry, I just… Am not in good spirits," Joule said quietly.

"That's alright. I get how you feel."

Joule was staring at the flower on his shirt quietly.

"I doubt it, but thanks for trying."

"You know my offer to ally is still on the table, right?"

Joule looked up. "What? Really? Why?"

"Because I believe in second chances? I dunno. We could make a good team, don't you think?"

"Yeah, maybe. But… I'm pretty sure I have a big target on my back now. Chance is out to get me."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true-"

"I'm not stupid, Riggs. I know that he's after me. He's a trained Career, I'm pretty sure he's not bluffing."

"…Oh." Riggs felt awkward. He did want an ally, though, and Joule was smart and seemed to have a good shot, even if he made a mistake here and there. They were only human, and Riggs was sure he learned his lesson. "Well, we can meet up in the Games, maybe. I mean, I doubt either of want to be alone in the Arena…"

"Oh. Yeah, sure. If I don't get killed immediately, I mean."

"You're much less likely to be killed if we work together."

"I hope that's true."

"How about a picture?"

"Oh, um… I think I'll pass."

"Oh. Alright. That's fine." Riggs put the camera away.

"But… If you want you can take this." Joule took his flower off. "For friendship."

"Oh… Are you sure?" Riggs was surprised. They weren't exactly friends. They'd barely talked, really, just hinted at allying once or twice. Surely there was someone there that deserved it more.

Then again, maybe not.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Oh. Thanks." Riggs took the yellow and gray flower and put it on his left side. He glanced down at the flower he still had. After all, giving it to him would be strategic like Gian wanted… But he really wanted to give it to Gian… He had a decision to make.

"Well…" Riggs bit his lip. He messed with the flower in his hands for a second, his fingers reaching for the pin as he made his decision.

.

Some of the celebrities, like Emmet, were harder to track down.

Riggs was sent on a crazy scavenger hunt for the President's nephew, each person he asked saying that they'd just seen him and he'd gone that way. He'd gotten to meet and selfie with a lot of Capitolites, though, which was always a plus. He finally found him by a section set apart, with different games. Riggs got Em to take a selfie with him, and chatted happily with him. They both feasted off of each other's energy.

Together, they searched for Emmet's sister Maggie, and found her at the cotton candy stand with Dania, who also got in on their group selfie. Riggs had a great view for the Upward Voyager concert, where he stood next to Agalia and Gian. When they opened up karaoke to the tributes between songs, Riggs was the first to take a shot at it, of course, with a heartfelt rendition of "Livin' on a Prayer."

The night went by so fast, it was crazy. Before it was time to leave, Riggs stopped by to buy a bouquet of red roses, hoping that would be enough, which he would wait to give until they were back at the Tribute Building. He wanted them to be a surprise, so he sneakily hid them from Gian as they all boarded the limo to head back.

"Wasn't that amazing?!" Desiree asked Riggs, practically shouting as their ears were all still ringing. She had Daria's pink and red flower around her left wrist. Riggs remembered watching Daria give it to her, that was Daria's big moment on the cameras. Daria had Syca's green and yellow flower around her left wrist, Syca's moment on the camera. In person, Riggs couldn't help thinking that it looked like cauliflower. He laughed a bit to himself.

"Yeah, I had so much fun!" Riggs said cheerfully.

"We noticed!" Syca said happily. "Dance champ!"

Riggs grinned broadly.

"Who are the flowers for?" Daria asked.

"Gian," Riggs said.

"Of course," Desiree said. Ashlyn sat silently on the far edge of the limo, but Riggs noticed the light reflect off of Kaelys's silver flower, which Riggs noticed was on her right wrist upon further inspection. Their big moment was their dance together, and the first time they kissed. It was pretty cute.

Semper was the last to get on the limo. Everyone went silent when he did. After all, nobody could forget his moment, kissing a Capitolite on screen. Everyone went absolutely bonkers when it happened. The last thing Riggs expected to see was the usually shy boy dancing with a Capitolite of all people, much less kissing said Capitolite. He had successfully blown everyone else's moments out of the water, even Chance and Nerio's. He had become the man of the night, all anyone was talking about.

He looked at them all, like a deer caught in headlights. He didn't have his flower anymore. Riggs wondered if he knew that everyone had watched it happen.

Nobody said anything, but Daria wolf-whistled and his face immediately broke into a blush. He popped up to look out the sunroof, and all the remaining tributes gave each other looks indicating that they were all thinking the same thing: _How the hell did that happen?_

They drove back to the Tribute Building. The District Six crew didn't do much talking before they separated to shower. Riggs took the quickest shower ever, the bouquet of flower waiting for him to give. He changed into comfy PJs and made sure his hair looked alright before he went to Gian's room. He left a note on the floor, a note that said to meet him up on the roof, and ran as soon as he knocked. He had no idea if Gian would come, or if this would work or… Who knew? He just followed his gut. He took the elevator up to the roof, lit some candles, and waited.

His heart pounded. _What if he didn't come? What if he just leaves me hanging? What if he's with Agalia?! Or Prentice?! What if-_

The elevator doors opened, and he was actually there. Gian was there. He was in his PJs, but he was there.

"Riggs…"

"Hey." Riggs held out the bouquet. "For you."

"Um… Thanks." Gian took it, and Riggs watched, waiting.

It didn't take long for Gian to notice and pull the blue and gold rose out from the middle of the bouquet.

"You held onto it."

"You're the only one who can have it." Riggs said quietly, before adding, "No give-backs."

Gian laughed, a quiet laugh, a real laugh, before he ducked away, sighing, gently setting down the roses on a ledge. "Riggs… Look, I'm really flattered, but…" He glanced at his feet. "I have enough people just after my ass. I don't need one more."

Riggs felt like he'd been shot in the heart.

"Wait, Gian… You think that's… All this is?" A light breeze blew as Riggs stepped forward. He was quiet, his voice was small. He couldn't believe that Gian didn't see.

"That's all it _ever_ is." He looked away, humiliated. "That's all it was with Prentice. Why would this time be any different?"

"Gian… It might have started out like that… But now… Now it's so much more. Now it's everything. Everything about you. I would… I would go a million years without having sex if it meant I got to be with you, Gian." Riggs stepped forward and took Gian's hands.

"It's the serum talking."

"No, it can't be. I… I've never had feelings this real in my life. I don't want to like, get married or anything. I just… I want to know you. I want to spend time around you. I want to make you smile, and laugh, because I love it so much when you're happy." Riggs squeezed Gian's hands. "I want you to take care of yourself. You're always so stressed out, you stay up so late and use coffee to cope, but you know that isn't healthy. I just want you to be healthy and happy, Gian. I promise." That was infinitely true. Riggs felt every word in his heart. He felt like his heart, his chest, was bleeding, begging Gian to believe him. "Please Gian…" Riggs squeezed his hands again, and looked into his eyes, focusing on not bouncing on his feet. "You have to believe me. What started out as something materialistic, something physical, has turned into so much more. My heart beats for you."

"I believe you," he said quietly, returning and holding eye-contact.

Riggs's heart was pounding. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask if Gian felt the same. He wasn't sure he could take it. "So… What-"

Gian shook his hands out of Riggs's, whose heart sunk to the pit of his stomach.

"You're my tribute, Riggs. I'm your mentor."

"I understand," Riggs said quietly. "I really do. If you want me to back off, then… Somehow, I will. I promise. I don't want to freak you out or make you uncomfortable. I want you to be feel comfortable and safe with me. I promise."

A small smile spread across Gian's lips. Before Riggs knew what was happening, Gian stood up on his tiptoes, took Riggs's shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him. Riggs's heart pounded as he kissed back, wrapping an arm around Gian's stomach to pull him closer and using the other hand to cup Gian's cheek.

Riggs had kissed a lot of people before, but it had never, ever felt like this. The rhythm, the taste of coffee on his lips, the way they moved against each other, feeling him breathe, feeling his heart. Knowing that he was abundantly lucky to have the honor of kissing someone so amazing, so talented and smart, the way his heart was pounding. Riggs had never felt nervous when kissing someone before, and now he was. But he liked it. It meant that, for the first time in his life, he was kissing someone of the utmost importance to his heart. And that was a feeling that couldn't be equaled by anything, not by a thing in the world. He wouldn't have traded that moment for anything in the entire goddamn world. He would have given anything for it to last forever.

It ended too soon. As soon as it was over, Gian ducked away.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry? What do you mean-"

"I can't… Do this."

"You don't love me?" Riggs asked, sadness crashing through him.

"You might die…" Gian said quietly, "I… I can't… I don't want to love someone that I could lose so easily…"

Riggs frowned. "Oh…"

"I'm sorry, I… I shouldn't have done that…. If you come home a Victor, we'll have this talk then, okay?"

Riggs felt heartsick. Such a perfect moment had to end like this. He knew he couldn't blame Gian, but… Wasn't love something you couldn't control? Riggs's love sprung from passion. He just nodded a bit. "Alright. I'll come home first. Then we'll talk." Gian turned and walked away quickly, leaving Riggs standing there, heart breaking. For the first time since being reaped, leaving his home, his family, his friends, Riggs's eyes filled with tears. He collapsed right there on the roof, looking over the city, feeling nothing but cold, dark loneliness, and the pain of a throbbing, broken, hurting heart.

The tears rolled down his cheeks and Riggs wiped them away, clenching his teeth, angry at himself for crying like this, but knowing deep down that he couldn't help it. Gian was right, he was going into the Hunger Games tomorrow, as much as he tried to forget that fact, he was going and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. He was going to have to fight for his life. Twenty-three were going to die, and one would live. He took so many pictures with other tributes, laughed and danced with them, but the truth was that any one of them could be his killer.

Riggs had to admit, for the first time in his life, as tears rolled down his cheeks and sobs burst out of his chest, that he. Was. Not. Invincible. He was a human, and he loved Gian so much and they couldn't be together, and he wasn't a trained killer and he had no idea if he could actually take someone else's life, and he didn't have much more time to prepare. He couldn't hold focus on anything, he wasn't smart, and he hadn't learned as much as he could have in training. He was human, he had weaknesses, and he wasn't going to live forever.

He clenched his hands into fists, but couldn't stop crying now.

What was he going to do? How could he possibly stand a chance in the Hunger Games? He wasn't the person he thought he was. He was nothing, he was nothing but a lovesick, heartbroken idiot.

He wasn't ready to die. But he wasn't sure he was going to have a choice.

Riggs was scared. Tears poured out of his eyes. He hated the feeling, but he couldn't control it or try to fight it or hide it anymore. He wasn't as strong as he pretended to be. He was scared, he was terrified, he was up here on the roof sobbing and crying his eyes out, and he couldn't stop it. He couldn't convince himself that he'd be okay anymore.

Riggs waited until he finally got a hold of his pathetic sobbing, angry at himself for crying when he could be filmed and broadcast to the entire nation. He eventually got up and shuffled down to bed. It was going to be a long day, after all.

Two hearts were broken on the District Six floor that night. For the first time since he won the Games, Gian Mariani went to bed without doing any homework. Riggs dozed off into an uneasy sleep, exhausted from crying.

The roses were left on the ledge on the roof, neglected and left to die.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Why did I neglect Semper so much in these last chapters? Because I knew he was going to get an unfair amount of attention in this chapter. And he did XD**_

 _ **Anyways, I'm dead. This chapter actually physically killed me. R.I.P. I hope you guys went on an emotional roller coaster, because I'm taking y'all down with me. Anyways, I hope it lived up to all the build-up. Sempertor (Numiper?) is literally something I've had planned for MONTHS and been bursting to write it. And I didn't spoil it to ANYONE, not even Legend! So yay me! *pats for Celtic***_

 _ **One more chapter before the Arena! I can't believe how fast it's gone. I hope you all have enjoyed how I've represented your characters through the course of their two POVs and various other appearances. Thanks to bouncing ideas off of Legend (love u Legend), I think I know what the Arena is going to be (finally)! I can't believe in two chapters, tributes are going to be dead. Wow.**_

 _ **Also, remember that since I'm taking a month off of this story after the next chapter to give busy readers time to catch up, but I'll do a lot of fanmail and deleted scenes, so if you have a deleted scene request or two or three for any scenes that peaked your curiosity or things/interactions that you'd like to see happen, just request it in your review and I'll add it to my queue!**_

 _ **Oh, also, if you like my writing and the way I represent characters that are submitted to me, I invite you to consider submitting to my next partial SYOT, Traveller! One of my tributes will win, but it's basically a story that is assured to finish that will be a lot of fun and feature your characters, even if they can't win. The prologue is not up yet, it won't be up till I get the last two chapters of Masque done, but I hope you'll consider submitting and reading if you like what I do here! :)**_

 _ **So yeah, I'm dead. R.I.P. Me. (JK I'm actually looking at the sky while everyone else kills each other lol :P)**_

 _ **Chapter Question: What did you think of the party? Would you want to see another party in the sequel to this story (I know, I'm thinking ahead a bunch, but I know exactly what I'm doing after this story ends)? That would be assuming that the party becomes tradition even for non-Quells. Did you think 6 POVs was enough for it? Too much? Honest feedback will help me improve for my next story, if I choose to do another party! Also, because I'm curious, what was/were your favorite part(s)? A lot, but oh well.**_


	31. Acacia & Cupid: Hands Down

-Acacia Blasdell, 18, District 2-

Even after showering and changing into pajamas, Acacia's ears were still buzzing. Her heart rate had slowed down by now, but she still felt like she was being pumped with adrenaline. She just had the most wonderful night of her life, she felt like she could die tomorrow totally happy.

Wait. No. No, she didn't _want_ to die. She wasn't going to die, it was just a figure of speech, that was all. After all, this is it. This is exactly what she trained for, after all. She had worked so, _so_ hard to get there. It wasn't an easy road, and she was finally starting to reap the rewards of so much effort spent training. You think it was easy to be nonbinary in a District where men were expected to be men and ladies expected to be ladies? There was really no goddamn reason she should have been discriminated against.

You'd think that now, with the District's first non-binary Victor, it would be less of a challenge to climb the ranks. But of course not. Pluto did their best to help, but there was only so much they could do. Sure, pride was _crazy_ fun, but it was only a small sector of District Two's population. Most of them were like Nona, where the mention of girls loving girls caused her to tense up and the prospect of a volunteer from the male side of the stage that wore a dress to the reapings caused her to make a face. Acacia knew there was tension between her and Pluto to this day, even after Pluto proved themself, she still didn't think they were good enough. It was always an uphill battle for people like them. And it just seemed as if it always would be.

Acacia knew that she couldn't let her chance slip through her fingers. Not now. She had worked far too hard to just give up.

But, so had Wicke. So had the beautiful girl that was flexible and smart, a fighter. Wicke wanted to win, too. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Acacia knew that. But her heart wasn't ready to accept that yet.

She tried to stay positive, just as she always had done. Maybe people will ship them so much that they allow two Victors. Maybe they'll find a way to out-wit Lux. Maybe they'll be able to make it work.

But what if they couldn't?

Acacia couldn't afford to think about that.

She combed out and dried her blonde undercut. It didn't take very long. When she was done, she went out to the main room.

Cerena wasn't there. She hadn't been around very much, Acacia noticed. Not that either tribute really missed her presence. Cerena was a bit like a ghost, even when she was there it was easy to pretend that she wasn't. She didn't speak very much and was nothing but polite when she was around. She didn't talk very much. Every day she wore simple, modest, black clothes. She seemed to like the tributes and mentors well enough, but Acacia figured that she must have had other people with whom she'd rather spend her time. After all, she was married to Ashton Romano, who was a stylist for District Seven. It made sense that she'd be gone so much to see him.

Vesperus was there, though, with Nona and Dania. All of them were in their pajamas, but none of them seemed all too tired.

"What did it say?" Dania was asking.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nona said.

"Come on, what did it say?!"

"What did what say?" Acacia asked, sitting down across from her mentor at the table.

"Nona got a note at the party from my brother Carlen and she won't tell me what it says!"

"That's because it's not all that important," she protested.

Acacia couldn't say she wasn't even a little curious. "What did it say?"

"Don't you start."

"Come on!" Dania said, "Just tell me!"

"Alright, fine. It said, _You're managing precious cargo. Bring Dania home to me._ Are you happy now?"

Dania grunted, crossing her arms. Vesperus just smirked. "I don't know, I think she's lying."

Nona whipped around to face him, scowling. "I am not lying!" Her ears started to flush, causing the older Victor to laugh.

"Aw, I won't judge!" Dania said.

"I will," Vesp added, and Acacia could tell he was just having fun winding her up. An Avox delivered Acacia some hot chocolate and marshmallows. She and Vesperus clanked mugs as Dania continued to pester her mentor. Soon, Nona decided she'd heard enough and started to bed, Dania following, leaving Acacia alone with her mentor.

"You nervous?" he asked, glancing at her over his mug.

Acacia put on a proud grin. "Of course not!" she said.

"Acacia…"

The tribute sunk back into her seat, sighing quietly. "I guess a bit."

"How's Wicke doing?"

"She's alright. Just as strong, beautiful, confident as ever."

A silence came between the two of them. Unlike most silences to this point, which had been fairly comfortable, this one was nothing but tense. Acacia knew that Vesperus wanted to say something.

"Acacia… You know that she wants to win too."

Acacia didn't look up at him. She just sipped the hot chocolate slowly. She knew that she had to keep that in mind, but at the same time… She finally felt like she'd found her forever. She'd never had feelings like this before in her life. She was so sure that she and Wicke could spend the rest of their lives together.

When she glanced up, Vesperus had a fatherly look on his face.

"I know," she said softly.

"Just remember that. You can't let her take your chance."

There was a sad, heavy silence between them. How was Acacia ever supposed to turn on someone that she had such happy memories with? The party was absolutely spectacular, she had the time of her life and it was made a million times better because Wicke was by her side. She knew that the girl from District One deserved the goddamn world. Not to mention that, as much as Acacia liked to think of her as the most adorable, cutest little sweetheart Acacia had ever met, the reality was that she was a trained, strong tribute that wanted to win more than anything.

"I won't," Acacia said quietly.

"Good."

They continued to sit in silence. In that time, Acacia thought about everyone she'd talked to that night that would have to die for her to win. She'd done her very best in every aspect of the pre-Games. She won the crowds, that part was for sure, found a strong ally, everything fit into place. She'd trained so long, worked so hard. She knew that she couldn't throw this away. But at the same time, she knew these people. She knew their stories. She _loved_ one of them, with everything in her. She was devoted to this person. The thought of seeing her hurt, worse, dead… Acacia wasn't sure she could take it.

She quickly got up. She didn't want to think about this. She wanted to take her mind off of it. She wantd to see Wicke, but the District One girl was absolutely pooped and Acacia was sure she went to bed as soon as she was showered. After all, it was going to be a big day tomorrow.

"Wait," Acacia glanced back at her mentor. "Stay here a minute."

Acacia slid back down into her seat, sighing a bit. She loved her mentor, and was so proud of him when she saw him wearing the rainbow bowtie, but now she was just a bit annoyed. But, since she wasn't tired in the slightest, she stayed around, hoping that maybe her mentor could distract her or something.

Vesperus pulled a piece of technology out of his pocket. "They posted a lot of the photos people took on social media," he said. "Have you seen them?"

"Not really," she said. Vesperus showed her some of the images of the other tributes, her selfie with Riggs, and all the pictures that she'd taken of Wicke. She took a picture every time she thought Wicke looked particularly beautiful, which was basically every couple minutes. She couldn't help it, Wicke was just so pretty all the time. Acacia just couldn't get a bad picture of her, even if she had tried.

At the memories, Acacia smiled, trying to forget what would have to happen if she wanted to step foot in District Two.

Suddenly, the screen lit up and the device started to ring.

"Oh, how convenient, it's Pluto. Probably going to tell me he got back home safe."

Acacia watched as Pluto's face lit up on the screen.

"Hey. You home?"

Pluto was in his PJs and looked pretty comfortable. "Mhm. Just got back."

"Good. Did you have fun?"

"As much as I could."

Acacia heard a familiar voice in the background. "What're you doing, Babe?"

Her heart pounded.

Vesperus raised his eyebrows. "What? Skor is there? Oh, what a totally unforeseen coincidence!"

Acacia never felt more desperate in her life. "Let me see him. Please. Let me talk to my brother."

When Skor's face appeared on the screen next to Pluto, Acacia could feel her eyes fill with tears. Oh, pesky emotions. She couldn't help it, though. She missed him so, so much. It was a wonderful surprise to see his face and hear his voice. She hadn't realized how much she missed her family until that moment. Even receiving her letter, seeing the handwriting of her little sisters, she didn't realize how much she wanted to see them again until now.

"Aw, are you _crying_?" the teasing note of Skor's voice causes Acacia to become indignant, sniffling.

"Shut up," she said.

Skor just laughed, and the noise made Acacia's heart beat harder, her eyes filling up with more tears. She loved to hear that noise. She missed it. She laughed too, through her tears.

"Listen, we probably shouldn't talk too long," Skor said. "I don't want them to come after you for breaking the rules."

"Just stay!" Acacia said, studying every feature of her brother. "Please. Since when have I cared about rules?"

"He's right, Acacia," Pluto said quietly.

"I know. I'll say goodbye soon. Just… A little while longer." She had to remember this when she was in the Arena.

"How are the others holding up?" She clutched the holo tightly in both her hands, as if that would bring her closer to her home.

"They're all really excited for you. Mama's worried, as always. Even Mom's getting worried, though."

"Seriously?"

"Well… You _are_ …" he trailed off, and Acacia could feel her heart sink.

"What about Taffy and Reen?"

"Excited, of course. It's… It's your big moment."

Acacia saw him sink. It wasn't like Skor to draw back like that.

After a brief pause, she asked quietly, "How about you?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you. How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm good. Excited for you, y'know."

Acacia softened even more. She saw a pain in his face that he'd never let show before. A side-glance at Pluto had Acacia wondering if he was more worried for her living than her dying. Surely he knew everything about Victor's life, after moving in with Pluto as soon as they won the Games.

"You don't have to worry about me," Acacia said quietly. "Really, you don't."

"I'll always worry about you," he said, the corner of his mouth going up in a smile. "I'm your big brother. It's my job."

Acacia laughed a bit. "Yeah, sure. Alright. Worry away then. But… Just know that I'm going to come home. I promise. You tell Taffy and Reen that, okay?"

"I'll definitely pass on the message."

"Thank you. And… Also, can you tell them all that I love them too? I know we said it in the goodbye room, but… I want them all to know I never stopped."

"Of course."

"I love you too," she said quietly. "You know that, don't you?"

Skor started smirking again, wearing that shit-eating grin. "Aw, you love your big brother! I knew it all along!"

Acacia rolled her eyes. "Note: I love you doesn't mean you can just use up all my hair gel."

That got him to laugh again. There was a pause before he softened again, though. "I love you too, kid. And I want you to know that I am _insanely_ proud of you. All of us are."

Acacia's eyes misted up again as she realized that she would have to say goodbye sooner than later. "Thank you," she said, voice quivering slightly.

"We should probably go," Pluto said quietly.

"Oh, yes, right. Good night, sib. Get some rest, okay? You have to be up and ready for the Games tomorrow."

A tear rolled down Acacia's cheek as she used her last minutes to memorize exactly what her brother looked like in that moment. "Okay. I will. I promise."

"Good luck tomorrow," Pluto said. "You've got it in you. Rule of three, remember?"

Acacia let out a small laugh through her tears. "Yeah. Rule of three."

"Good night you two," Vesperus said.

"Night," they both said.

"Sleep tight," Acacia said quietly as the faces disappeared from the screen.

"They're right. You should get to bed." Vesperus stood up and Acacia did the same. Instead of going to bed, though, she threw her arms around her mentor. He was slightly surprised, but hugged back tightly.

"Thank you," she said quietly, tears rolling down her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man mused quietly. "It was all just dumb luck that he happened to be there."

Acacia didn't believe that for a second, but she just agreed silently. She stayed there with her mentor, hugging him and crying quietly into his shoulder.

"Either way, I… I really needed this…"

Acacia sniffled and dried her eyes, finally letting go of her mentor.

"I needed to remember what's waiting for me at home. I needed that reminder. That reminder of why I need to fight."

Vesperus handed her a tissue and she blew her nose. "Good. Now get some rest. Launch isn't until late afternoon because the party kept you all up so late, but the more sleep you can get, the better."

"Of course." Acacia gave one last nod before turning and going back into her bedroom.

She quickly fell asleep, dreaming of being up on the stage, face painted, flag around her shoulders, as the featured Victor at District Two Pride.

* * *

-Cupid Lawrence, Chief of Research-

Cupid knew he was in trouble the second he saw them on the screen.

He wasn't really worried about where Tor may have gone, Cupid figured he'd do everything he could to escape the party. Q was expecting him to up to his father's apartment. Q knew that place was important to him, but… He hadn't expected… Oh God.

"Did you like the party?" He asked his other kids as they were all walking home together.

"Yeah, yeah!" Aristotle skipped ahead of them happily, the bi flag waving behind him as he went.

Cupid smiled as he glanced at Numitor, who was wearing a rainbow flag that matched the one around Q's shoulders. "What was your favorite part?"

"I can't choose! I danced with Daria at the first part, she was _soooo_ nice! Oh, and I spent the second half with Bec, he was so much fun. He was pretty silly too."

"I like Bec!" Trixie squealed happily, curled up in Cupid's arms.

"She got to ride around on his shoulders!" Aristotle said happily. "He's so strong! Plus, he helped me ask Wizard to dance with me!"

"Did he?"

"Yup!" Aristotle chirped. "A lot of people stopped me to say they noticed my dancing!" he beamed proudly. "I told them all my Dad taught me."

Cupid smiled slightly and ruffled his hair. He knew that Leviticus was the best teacher out there. He probably could have taught Lux how to dance without giving anyone goddamn blisters. "Good. And I assume you had fun too, Trix?"

The small girl yawned sleepily, but nodded.

"Cupid, can we ask Numi about his night now!?" Aristotle asked. The eleven-year-old was extremely jealous of his brother, who had become famous in a matter of seconds. Obviously, Numitor wasn't so thrilled about that. Cupid tried to keep Aristotle from bothering him too much, but the truth was that Cupid was horribly curious himself. After all, he'd been working at Numitor for months and the boy refused to open up to him. How the hell did this little tribute get him to do it in a matter of hours?

"Wait till we get home, okay?" Cupid was putting it off for Numitor's sake, but they both knew that they couldn't just put this off forever.

"Everyone knew who he was!" Aristotle said. "Cerena _Mai_ even came over to me to ask where he went!"

That caused Cupid to stop in his tracks. "Cerena Mai? What business does _she_ have with Numitor?" Cupid glanced at the fifteen-year-old, confused, but Numitor looked just as confused.

"Yeah, she was with her husband!"

"Why the hell…?" Cupid wondered what business an escort for District Two and a stylist for District Seven might have with a Capitolite who was with a boy from District Eight.

"That's… Odd." Cupid said. "Numitor, do you have any idea what this might be about?" Cupid knew that he was a terrible liar, so when he shrugged and looked genuinely confused, Cupid knew he had no idea either.

"Benjamin McGinty and Wolf Jansing were asking me stuff about him too!" Aristotle continued.

"What did you tell them?" Numitor asked defensively, the first words he'd spoken since the party ended.

"Not much. They just wanted to know about your home life and asked about Cupid and how you were doing in school and stuff. Oh, and they wanted to know what your favorite Games was!"

Cupid's mind was racing. Why would people like that ever need to know such odd details about Numitor like that?

"What did you tell them?" Cupid asked.

"I told them that our parents died but we got adopted by you Q, and that we're happy and a good family, and I told them that you're super smart and doing really well in school and you were offered to skip a grade you're super duper smart! And I just told them that you don't get as excited about the Games as we do. Oh, they asked about AniCat too!"

"Why the hell wouldn't they just ask Anakyn? Aren't he and Wolf friends?"

"Don't ask me, I just told them that we basically grew up together."

"Did they give any indication why they were so curious?" Cupid asked.

Aristotle shrugged. "Guess they were interested in his time with Semper."

"Numitor, are you sure you don't know why they would do that?"

"Totally sure," the boy said honestly, if not with a bite to his voice.

"Alright. Well… I don't know. Maybe it was just out of curiosity. After all, I hate to tell you this, but the Capitol's going to want to know everything about you now that you're a player in the Games, Tor."

"I'm not-"

"You're not a tribute. But now you're involved. Everyone's going to want to know about the Capitolite boy that kissed Semper Celandine."

Numitor buried his face in his hands as they kept walking. Cupid's mind was still buzzing. He would let it go for now, no use scaring anyone, but he would not forget about it, that was for sure.

"If the cameras show up tomorrow, do you think they'll interview me?!" Aristotle asked.

Cupid chuckled a little bit, amused at his ever-growing hunger for the spotlight. "Maybe," he said. Numitor stopped walking, so he added, "Although the likelihood that cameras will be at our house tomorrow is highly unlikely, I promise." Numitor shuffled his feet as he kept walking.

"Did you know you were on the big screen!?" Aristotle asked excitedly. To be displayed on the big screen like that would have been a dream come true for him. He was excited for Numitor. He had no idea that Tor was absolutely miserable.

"No," he said quietly, irritably. "I didn't know."

Cupid unlocked the door to his house, still carrying the now-asleep Trixie in his arms.

"Aristotle, why don't you shower and get to bed?"

"Now? But we still haven't heard all the details-"

"Now, please." Cupid wasn't very good at the whole strict Dad voice yet, but Aristotle got the message, heading to the bathroom. Cupid went to put Trixie to bed, and noticed Tor try to slip into the room unnoticed. "You. Stay." Numitor stayed in the main room as Cupid changed Trixie into her PJs and tucked her in.

When Cupid came back out, Numitor was standing in the middle of the living room. He looked guilty, like a scared little kid.

"Come outside with me," Cupid said. Numitor obediently followed him outside. Cupid took a seat on the steps leading to the front door, and Numitor slowly sank down next to him.

"Am I in trouble?" Numitor asked, his voice quiet and small. His eyes were pooled with tears.

Cupid softened. "No, Tor. You're not in trouble. I promise."

"Will the President be mad? I-I'm a Capitolite, and he-he's a District boy…"

"I don't think Blossius minds that so much. After all, your parents were that way. And so were-"

"I know. But… What if I hurt his chances?!" Numitor sniffled.

Cupid smiled slightly and rubbed his back. "I don't think you did. In fact, I bet you helped them a lot."

Numitor sobbed quietly. "Now I'm in the spotlight… What if I mess it up?"

"You won't. You know what to do."

Numitor didn't stop crying. "He could die… He'll probably die… There are Car-Careers and…"

"Sh… Don't think about that."

Numitor glanced up at him, tears rolling down his cheeks. "You can-can't hel-p him."

Cupid shook his head a bit, frowning. "That's right. I'm sorry, Tor. I wish I could. I don't have that much power, though."

"I know…" Numitor tried to smile through his tears. "That's okay. I don't blame you."

Cupid rubbed his back softly as he cried quietly. He wished he could protect Numitor from any more heartbreak than he'd already had to suffer through. But there was nothing he could do. Cupid knew that more than anyone.

"I don't want to lo-lose him…" Numitor sniffled quietly.

"I know," Cupid said quietly. "I know."

Numitor looked up at him. "Do you know?" he asked. It wasn't an accusation as much as it was a serious question.

"Of course I know."

Numitor sniffled. "He might die." Now his voice had a bite to it.

"I know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he pushed some of the burgundy hair out of his eyes to give Cupid a look.

"It means that I know." Cupid glanced up at the stars. "I know what it's like to lose someone you love with everything you have."

"To death?"

Cupid bit his lip, but spoke quietly. "Yes, Numitor. To death."

There was a pause. A long pause.

"My father."

"What?"

"It was my father, wasn't it?"

Cupid glanced down at him. Numitor was observant, and extremely bright, but sometimes his keen nature totally shocked Cupid. He wanted to lie. He wanted to say no, it was someone else. He didn't want to think any more about how he spent so much time of his life pathetically loving a man that would never, ever love him back. He didn't want to admit that he had spent so much time lovesick and heartbroken for someone who was happily married, someone who had three beautiful children, someone who lost his life because he was so devoted to something.

He couldn't lie. Not to Tor. Not when he was trying so hard to get this boy to trust him.

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

Numitor was quiet.

"I couldn't help how much I loved him. Somehow, I just… Couldn't stop loving him. Yeah, I knew it was hopeless. I knew that he loved her more than life itself. And all of you, too." Cupid could feel his eyes watering up, and did everything he could to stop the tears before they came. He couldn't look weak in front of this boy. He was supposed to be the one that was coaching Numitor through his heartbreak. He'd be absolutely no help if he started crying for someone that wasn't on this earth anymore. And even if he was, he wouldn't have loved Cupid back anyways.

"Oh."

"You remind me of him," Cupid said quietly, trying to keep tears from rolling down his face. "In the best ways."

"Aristotle is his spitting image," Numitor whimpered.

"Yeah, maybe he is. But you remind me of him too."

"Oh… Nobody's really told me that before."

Cupid smiled slightly, his vision blurred by those stupid damn tears. "Well I'm telling you now." He couldn't stop them from escaping his eyes, but wiped them quickly, hoping that Tor didn't notice.

Tor was still crying, tears still rolling down his cheeks. "It hurts," he said quietly.

"I know," Cupid choked out, his voice quivering. "I know it does."

Numitor glanced up at his godfather for a moment before he snuggled his way under Cupid's arm, burying his face in his godfather's side. Cupid sniffled and blinked, surprised. Sure, Numitor had hugged his godfather before and stuff like that, but he had never _initiated_ it. He always just begrudgingly accepted it. Now, he was initiating it. He wanted to be close to his godfather. Cupid wrapped his arm around Tor's shoulders and held him close, allowing him to cry into his side. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks as he buried his face in Numitor's hair.

The moon and stars were bright and the summer breeze blew Cupid's hair around as he held Numitor close and the fifteen-year-old sobbed. His heart was breaking to see Tor so upset, but a part of him was, in a sad way, happy. Happy that Numitor was finally opening up to him, trusting him, after so many threats to go to the orphanage and arguments between the two of them.

Cupid never planned to be a father, but now he couldn't imagine losing the kids to anything. At first he wanted to ship them off, get rid of them and the responsibility they carried with them. He wanted that little angry snot-nose Numitor to just leave already. But now the thought of losing them devastated him.

He wanted to be in their lives. He loved them. All three of them. The responsibility was worth it. They were his second chance, his opportunity to turn his life around. For them, he would do it.

Things were starting to come together. Somehow, they were becoming a family. Even if they weren't related by blood, there was something stronger there.

Quantavius Lawrence had never had a family before. He grew up an orphan, in a place that hated him because of who he was. He had never in his life allowed anyone close enough to become that special.

For the first time, he had family. He had a family that loved him and cared about him, and now, that trusted him too.

Even after Numitor quieted, he stayed close to Cupid, not wanting to let go yet.

Cupid stroked his hair gently and together, they watched the stars. Cupid's mind wandered, diving through the memories of his time with Numitor, all that time spent trying to get him to open up.

It didn't take him long to realize how Semper gained Tor's trust so quickly when Cupid hadn't. It was because Semper did something that Q had taken so long, too long, to do himself. In that moment he learned something about his godson that helped him to better understand the kind of person that he was.

Numitor only opened up to the ones that opened up to him first.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: SUMMER**_

 _ **GOAL**_

 _ **COMPLETE.**_

 _ **HELLS YEAH! HELLS YEAH! HELLS YEAH! *dances* Sorry. I just had a very, VERY ambitious summer goal and I honestly wasn't sure if I would meet it, but I did! And that is totally exciting!**_

 _ **Yes, folks, that means that next chapter is going to be the Games, and that chapter will also be the bloodbath. No, I have absolutely no idea who will die in the bloodbath. It's still totally up in the air for me. This is going to be a horribly tough decision, and it's all your faults. If any of these characters were shitty this would totally be easy. But nooo. You all had to give me great characters with lots of potential. Ugh. Lol. Anyways, that's my problem, not yours.**_

 _ **So, unfortunately, today starts at least a month that I will not update this story. The reason why is that I know summer is a busy time, and there are so many monster updates I finished this summer and not everyone has time to read. So, I'm taking a break to focus on some of my other stories (Voices T.T) and give all of you submitters time to catch up without having to binge or be super stressed about it. I understand life's hectic, and real life comes first. I'll probably make a note of that on my profile, because nobody's going to see this until they've all caught up anyways and then what? XD**_

 _ **But, on the bright side, I'm totally not going to forget about this story in that month! I have plenty of fanmails to answer, along with deleted scenes to write and drawings to work on! Plus, I do want to make some playlists, which I haven't even started yet! So, if you want you can check out the Danzón blog for extra content!**_

 _ **Also, if you really need a fix of Celtic writing (shameless self-promo time oh boy here we go), I have a new partial SYOT called Traveller that still has a good number of empty spots! The prologue is not up yet, but will be soon because that's my next project. I really hope if you haven't already that you'll submit, because I want really good awesome characters to use!**_

 _ **Okay, shameless self-promo over. Oh wait, no it's not because I mentioned this like a million years ago, but I made an SYOT forum! So if you submit to, write, or read SYOTs, I invite you to join! We still have some stuff happening for the summer that's bound to be fun! :D**_

 _ **Alright, now I'm really done. Thank you so much for reading up to this point, your reviews and support absolutely mean the world to me! Also, I'm putting a poll up on my profile for favorite ship(s) so make sure to go vote on that too!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Future prediction time! Who do you think will win? Could there possibly be two Victors? Why is everyone so interested in Numitor? What was up with the meeting Daria watched? What will come of it? Just let me know your thoughts, I'm interested to see what you think!**_


	32. Day One: Mistakes

-Lux Hastings, Head Gamemaker-

The atmosphere in the Complex was the most tense it had ever been. It seemed to Lux that nobody was well-prepared for what's going to happen.

The Games this year, different from most, were starting late afternoon. Lux figured that since they'd kept the tributes (and the Capitolites) awake for so long the night before, nobody would have the energy to give (or watch) a good show. Luckily, the President agreed.

The team checked everything one last time, and Lux couldn't help but feel nothing but pure fear and terror. After all, Lux's life was on the line here, not any of theirs. Not yet, at least. Blossius may have had a good rep for letting the vast majority of Head Gamemakers retire peacefully or simply firing them, but Lux couldn't control that little nagging fear in the back of his mind.

Part of Lux was afraid his team would be distracted talking about the party, but they were all on task: not even Honoré talked a thing about it. They were hard at work double checking every possible program, climate change, and tiny detail. Nobody said a word which only added to the terrible tension. Lux munched on a croissant as he made his rounds to check in with each person, silently praying he didn't puke it up because of the nerves.

When he was done at that, he still had time, so he decided to try and distract himself for a while. He sat at his desk and flipped through the camera footage when a hand on the shoulder startled him, causing him to jump and his heart to pound hard.

"Sorry Mr. Hastings!" Viola said quickly, eyes wide in shock. Piccolo was standing behind her, but didn't talk. Lux tried to make himself smile at her, but in that moment it was much easier said than done.

"It's fine," he said quietly, trying to sound sincere as he stuffed more food in his mouth.

"I just wanted to say that everything's looking really good! You can do it!" Viola did jazz hands to emphasize her point.

"Oh…" It didn't take long for a tiny but genuine smile to appear on the man's face. "Thank you."

"You can do it," Piccolo said quietly. Lux noticed that the nineteen-year-old's eyes were red and frankly, she looked horrible. Pale, exhausted, and she wasn't wearing her contacts.

"I…" Lux decided not to ask. Between so many relationships forming and interacting with the tributes, the thought of any of them dying slowly and painfully was… _God, Lux, get it together._ He wished he'd never talk to any of them. This was going to make it hurt so much more. Not to mention he knew what they were going through because he was going through it too. He was in love, so deeply in love, just like them. He was afraid for his life like they were. Maybe his anxiety was unnecessary, but he still understood how it felt. Oh God, oh God, oh God, this was a mistake. All of this was a mistake. Oh God. He didn't need another goddamn thing to feel responsible for. He was suffering enough already. He was a nervous wreck. "You can do it too," he finally said. That was friendly but not too friendly, right?

"Thanks!" Viola said. Piccolo gave a smile Lux could tell was fake. Viola gave him a high five and Piccolo gave him a thumbs up before they went to get their hair, make-up, and wardrobe done. Lux was left with his computer.

He was starting to wish he'd never wanted this job. There were twenty-four kids, all of whom were worthy of getting back home, and by the end of this only one would live. Twenty-three deaths would forever be on his conscience. Deaths of tributes that are loved and hard workers with bright futures.

Lux buried his face in his hands. This was a mistake, all of it. And yet there was nothing he could do to stop any of it. It was far too late for any of that. Unless…

Another hand on his shoulder caused Lux to jump again. This time he was greeted by Cupid's apologetic purple eyes.

"Hey," Lux said, smiling a bit at seeing him. Just seeing him somehow relieved some of Lux's stress.

"Hi. I brought you some donuts."

Lux actually laughed a bit. It felt great. "You know me so well," he said, taking the box and getting one out to munch on. "You're as sweet as powdered sugar," he said, still chewing.

"I do my best," Cupid said. "How's it going?"

Lux's mouth was too full to speak without powdered sugar getting everywhere, so he just gave a shrug.

"You nervous?"

Lux nodded quickly as he swallowed. "Yeah. It's nuts that this is… Actually happening."

"So… Um…" Cupid started. Lux raised an eyebrow. "How about the party last night?"

Lux had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going. "It was fine."

"You know, you have the power to sway things."

"Yeah…"

"I think you should go for a patriot. You know, someone who embodies the power of love and unity. Especially between Capitol-"

Lux sighed and cut him off. "Cupid, I'm really sorry, but there's only so much I can do and I'm not allowed to be biased."

"Are you kidding me right now!? Yes you are! That's your _job_!"

"Listen. It's really sweet that you're trying to protect Numitor from heartbreak. But there are twenty-three other tributes in that Arena and any of them could come out of it."

Cupid softened a bit. "Lux, please-"

"I'm sorry, but I can't just take him out of danger. It's up to the sponsors and the President. Besides, he's not the only tribute that people ship with a Capitolite."

Cupid sighed quietly. "Can you at least promise you won't target him?"

"If the President tells me to, I'm going to target whoever I have to in order to stay alive."

Cupid understood. He would have done the same thing if he were Lux. "Alright."

Lux frowned at him. He hated to be arguing right now, when everything else was going on and Lux already had guilt before anyone had even died. He had to put a boundary down, though.

"You did a very well with all your responsibilities, Mr. Lawrence. I'll handle it from here."

Cupid gave a nod, stepping back, knowing not to push it. "Of course, Mr. Hastings." There was a brief pause.

"I'll do what I can," Lux said. He just couldn't make any promises, though.

"Thank you."

"Go. Go home, go be with them."

"Are… You sure?"

"Yes. You have no more responsibility here. I'm an adult. I can handle it."

Cupid gave him a sad smile. "Alright. Thank you."

"Mhm." Cupid gave a brief wave before turning around and leaving the room.

Lux glanced back at the screens. The mentors and escorts were being escorted to the mentor room. Anakyn and Helen were talking in hushed voices, and Tartan, Bonita, and Ant's bickering could be heard loud and clear. Jovia whispered to Gian quietly, but other than that, everyone was dead silent. The tributes were on the hovercraft.

When Lux noticed Chance and Nerio holding hands in the hovercraft, his heart felt like it was being squeezed. This wasn't _being_ broadcasted. They didn't have to do it for the cameras. They were holding onto each other, knowing that these could be their last moments together. God, this was hard. God, Lux had no idea what he'd signed up for. Syca looked a bit like he was about to start crying, which Lux related to. Desiree's fingers flew in signs that Lux couldn't understand. Perhaps she forgot that Ollie knew how to sign. Perhaps she didn't care. She was signing in his direction, actually aimed at Persei, who was watching attentively but had no idea what she was saying. Ashlyn and Kaelys were nowhere near each other. Riggs and Joule both sat alone.

Ester was talking quietly to herself, as Attila was seated five seats down from her. Luna was right next to her, and stared straight ahead, not even looking over. Jasper and June were seated on opposite sides of the hovercraft, just due to the luck of randomly assigned seats. Lux had no idea why the tributes couldn't just pick their spots, it was all tradition he supposed. Jasper, chattered nervously with Daria, while June stayed silent and stared at the floor. She looked up momentarily to give a determined nod to Jaques, who sat across from her.

The trackers were activated. They had been injected at the same time as the Q-serum, to keep suspicions down. Acacia and Wicke chattered nervously. Semper was next to Kaelys, and he was holding onto his harness and squeezing his eyes shut, mouthing words to himself Lux couldn't pick up on. That made Lux look away. He couldn't stand this. God, he couldn't stand it.

The hovercraft landed and the tributes were each escorted to the rooms where their stylists were waiting with their Arena outfits. Lux's heart started to pound. This was it. This was everything he had been working for. What a nightmare.

The tributes were each changed into their Arena outfits: simple T-shirts, waterproof athletic pants, and lightweight, waterproof jackets, and lightweight tennis shoes. Pretty standard, but not everything about the Quell could be totally unheard of. Lux noticed that Ollie's token was the gray and black rose he'd received the previous night. The Head Gamemaker swallowed a lump in his throat, moving his attention to where Bec was getting dressed. He had chosen to take the picture he showed at his interview as a token, and this was the first time he would be seen without a binder. The sports bra he was wearing helped to flatten the area a little, though.

The first to cry was Desiree. It was just a silent tear that started down her cheek and she quickly wiped away. Semper was panicking, but not quite crying. Dania and her stylist talked and the girl from Two looked pretty confident. Attila was the first to get in the tube, not having much to say or do with his stylist. Miya was the second, going in not too far after Attila with a curt nod to her stylist. Dyna twiddled their fingers, trying to listen to their stylist but to no avail.

"Raising the tubes in five," Joost said, hunched over the computer and typing commands. Lux held onto the armrests of his chair as everyone looked to him to get the okay. Lux gave a nod when the countdown reached zero, and the tubes were risen.

The order of tributes had been chosen strategically. Lux considered putting some of the more popular relationships and alliances beside each other, but ultimately decided against it for fairness's sake. Acacia was on the left side, then Riggs, Persei, Jasper, Luna, Dyna, Chance, Kaelys, Syca, Wicke, and Desiree. Daria was placed in the middle, where she'd have a straight shot at the horn, intentionally, Semper beside her. Next to him was Ester, then Bec, Ollie, Miya, Joule, Nerio, June, Dania, Ashlyn, Jacques, and Attila on the other end. The horn was across the room, full of supplies and just waiting for tributes to ravage it.

Lux's feed switched to where Piccolo and Viola were chattering excitedly. Under the caked-on foundation and with her contacts in, Piccolo looked just like she always did, perky and cheerful, nothing like the wreck Lux had seen earlier.

"And we're about to get our first glance of the Arena!" Viola said. "Let's see it!"

The tributes were raised up, and Lux's heart pounded in his chest.

"Now would you look at that! It's a ballroom, just like the one we all had dinner in last night!" Viola said. Sure enough, the tributes were in a ballroom, a giant chandelier in the middle of it, dangling over as the room rocked ever-so-slightly. At the motion, Nerio immediately perked up, and a slow smirk spread across Luna's face when other tributes just looked confused. Jasper looked across the crowd to find June, who was on the other side of the line from him. Even so, they were able to exchange a knowing glance that made Lux wonder why they were so sure about where they were.

"Look out that window," Piccolo commented. Lux smiled, his nerves calming slightly. He thought it'd take the twins longer to notice. Acacia and Attila, being on the ends of the tribute lines, were the closest to the windows, and soon they started to realize where they were.

"It… It's just water!"

"Blow the horn," Lux instructed.

"On it!"

Before long, the horn blared, causing both twins to jump at the volume.

"Oh my!" Viola said, and Piccolo laughed a bit.

"It appears as if they're on a cruise ship!" Piccolo said, stating the obvious for people that couldn't figure out the signs.

"How romantic!" Viola said dreamily as the countdown ticked.

"Let's take a view from the outside, shall we?" Viola asked, and the feed switched to the view of the large, shiny, new cruise ship. It was still docked, but preparing to leave port as the gong rang.

"It's beautiful!" Piccolo said. "And so big! There will definitely be a lot of places to hide!"

"And a lot of bedrooms!" Viola said, winking at the camera.

"The countdown is going now, so let's take a look!" Piccolo said.

Viola squealed a little bit. "This is so exciting!" she said, trying to compensate for Piccolo's lack of enthusiasm.

They stopped talking as the countdown hit ten. With each number, Lux's hands shook more and more. His heart beat harder and harder. His stomach turned faster and faster. This was it. This was what it all led up to. He mouthed along to the countdown, trying to keep himself from shaking, trying to keep the guilt and pain and fear at bay.

"Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

Let the 125th Annual Hunger Games begin!"

As soon as the gong rang, the tributes were running. Some were headed towards the Cornucopia, some to find their allies. The first one to reach the Cornucopia was Ester, who made a point to spend a lot of time looking for the right weapon. Chance and Nerio met up on their way to the horn, and grabbed hands as they ran to keep up with each other. Semper and Daria both ran to meet their allies, as did the girls from Six and Nine.

Jasper and June raced to each other before heading to the horn, not waiting for Kaelys and the others. June had her sights set on the small, folded up orange square that was laying in the mouth of the horn. It was the only thing she grabbed, and she quickly put it in her pocket. Jasper put his arm around her as they ran together, looking for the rest of their alliance. Kaelys dashed for Jacques and Ollie. When she met with her two allies, she and Jacques went to risk getting supplies, while Ollie stayed behind and watched. The big alliance met up and frantically started running just as Chance and Nerio reached the Cornucopia and went for weapons. Kaelys kept looking behind her shoulder, fear in her eyes as she searched, probably for Ashlyn. Her allies pulled her along, wanting to avoid the bloodbath and keep moving, and soon Kaelys turned around and left, biting her lip as she went. Lux was somewhat surprised, but not by much. After all, both were aware that only one could win. It was probably for the better.

The first battle happened not soon after. Chance and Nerio let go of each other's hands to get weapons, and soon everyone was on the edge of their seats to see who would be the first to die. Chance's gaze locked on Joule, who was running towards the horn, trying to grab something on the edge. His lips went up into a smile as it fixed upon his target. Acacia and Wicke were just arriving at the horn as Chance let the knife go.

There was a loud gasp and a piercing scream. Chance's mouth went into a smile as the tribute from District Two collapsed, gasping and clutching her chest. The biggest threat in the Games was officially the first to die. How painfully ironic.

While this was happening, Nerio grabbed a trident. He made eye contact with Joule, but didn't raise his weapon. The tribute from District Five took his pack and bolted. Lux was shocked he'd made it out alive.

Wicke was just able to grab a war scythe and a backpack before Nerio came back and she knew she was outnumbered. She took off running, running as fast as her feet could carry her. The expression on her face was unreadable, but Lux was sure she was hurting. He was.

Chance went to rip the weapon out of Acacia's chest just as Nerio was attacked by Miya, who was using the sword she'd gotten well. They struggled against each other, her sword clattering against his trident as she yelled for back-up, knowing that soon she would be outmatched.

As Chance was targeting Acacia, Desiree and Persei were going for some supplies on the outer rim. There, waiting, tantalizingly tempting, was a shiny axe. Persei grabbed for the handle just as Syca did the same thing. The tributes exchanged a glance before they started grabbing for it.

"C'mon Syca, let me have it," Persei said, widening her eyes as she grabbed roughly, trying to get him to let it go.

The boy from Seven made eye contact and his grip seemed to relax. She smirked and the second she did, he ripped the axe out of her hands, causing her to gape in shock.

He stood up quickly and made eye contact again. "No," he said, his mouth going into a small smirk. Then he turned around and took off running, where he met up with Daria. Daria hadn't gone to the horn, she'd just waited for him to get a weapon.

Persei was _mad_. She balled her fist but soon she didn't have time to be mad as she heard a very familiar, surprised squeak behind her. When she looked over, Dania's was standing over Persei's collapsed ally. Persei was mad, mad that this girl had an axe and she didn't, but she was smarter than to try and fight a trained, eighteen-year-old Career. She did what was best and started running, running as fast as she could, as far from there as possible.

Miya and Nerio were still fighting as this happened, Miya desperately trying to get backup from the other Careers. Each of her allies was in the middle of something else, and nobody came to her side. Surely Dania would have, if she hadn't been on the other side of the room. Attila was getting his weapon and pursuing another tribute, Luna was chasing a tribute, and Ester was swinging a knife clumsily at a tribute in the mouth of the horn. Chance ran as fast as he could to help, but he didn't need to. Nerio had seen a flaw in her strategy and used it to stab the trident through her chest, causing her to scream just as Persei had left the room.

When Dania heard the noise, she pulled the axe out of Desiree's back and ran, ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. She looked the angriest Lux had ever seen her. The boys knew that they were in trouble and decided to take one backpack each and go, not looking behind them.

Lux winced at that. Two of the biggest players, out during the Bloodbath. Surely there would be riots at The Wandering Snake Tavern, where a bunch of Games betting was known to take place.

Another strong player looked to be in trouble. Riggs had gone straight for the Cornucopia without giving another thought to it. He grabbed supplies, and though he could have easily gotten away from Ester's hesitant eye, he didn't. He slung a backpack on his shoulders and moved with no real sense of urgency. He was frantic, sure, but not frantic to get out of there. Finally, Ester charged, swinging her knife at him. He didn't even move, which made Lux wonder what was happening. Her knife cut his skin and once that happened, he got up to run, but he'd underestimated her, because she swings the knife again, trying to stab but not really knowing how. She hits him in the stomach, causing him to scream, but he throws his hand forward, holding a dagger, and slashes her stomach, causing her to yell and drop the weapon. Attila struck a tribute down and when he heard her scream, Riggs knew he was going to come. _Run, Riggs,_ Lux thought. _Just run._ Still bleeding and starting to sweat, holding the bloody dagger, Riggs ran away as fast as he possibly could.

Just as Miya collapsed, Attila had caught up with a pair of tributes that had just met up and was running away. Lux watched in horror as he brought his glaive down on Daria, who shrieked and collapsed, tears welling in her eyes. He hadn't quite gotten an immediate death, and Lux was worried that Syca was going to try to stay with her, but the District Seven tribute took off, as fast as his feet could carry him. When Attila heard Ester scream, he turned and immediately wanted to be by her side. Lux closed his eyes to avoid seeing her body. She was a Capitolite, dammit! She was one of them! She was choking on her own blood and she was one of them! Lux couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand it. He had to keep watching, he couldn't crack, he had to watch it… The pain in Syca's eyes would haunt him forever. God.

Not long after Miya collapsed, Luna had caught up to the tribute she was chasing, Dyna. She ended it quickly with a stab to the back, causing Dyna to gasp out as they collapsed. Lux looked around for Bec, as he was sure the Capitolites were looking for some drama and surely Bec and Luna would have been a fight to see. Dyna's ally was nowhere to be found. In fact, Lux had no idea where Bec was. He looked around and saw nothing of the boy from District Three.

Ashlyn reached the horn when the other Careers were distracted, and as soon as they saw her, she took off, a backpack around her shoulders. She paused for half a second to locate Semper, who looked around until he found her.

Ashlyn couldn't stop Attila from striking Semper down with his glaive.

Lux's eyes filled with tears as the boy from District Eight collapsed, blood pouring out of his mouth, eyes wide in shock.

The bloodbath was over, and Lux could feel his heart beating.

Breaking.

Bleeding.

Lux was about to tell them to shoot the cannons when he realized there was still one tribute that wasn't accounted for.

"Hold on…" he muttered.

The Careers were shaken. Attila was examining Ester's wound, while Dania kept glancing at Miya's bleeding body. They snapped back into action when they heard Luna yell, "We've got one more!"

Becquerel stepped out from where he was hiding in the horn, and Lux's eyebrows shot up.

"Just wait now. You don't want me dead. You want me alive."

"That's what they all say," Dania said, before her eyes brimmed with tears she blinked back.

"Ah, but all those other ones are lying." He sounded confident. Lux had no idea how he possibly could sound confident in a moment like this.

"Why would we want you alive?" Luna asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Do you know where anyone went?"

The others looked around the room. Well, all except for Ester and Attila, who were still having discourse about her wound. It was probably a good thing Attila was fixated on caring for Ester, otherwise he would have just killed Bec on the spot.

"We can find them."

"But you can find them faster with me. I know which way each of them went to. We can plan out our battles to take out the strongest tributes first and then go for the weaker links."

Luna considered this. Now this was an interesting decision to be made. Lux could barely watch. He was watching through teary eyes from the cracks between his fingers.

"You lost one. You can add one. Plus, I'm a volunteer. Remember? I know how to fight."

"He's right," Ester said. Having another outer District tribute in the alliance would probably help her to keep from being the scapegoat, after all. And his strategy sounded good to her.

Luna's eyes were cold, but she slowly lowered her sword. She was still tense, ready to fight.

Just then, Lux remembered something. Something horrible. Luna had killed his ally. Bec had to team up with the people that stole his friend's _life_. He either had to die or be a Career. He had to die or be part of the same team that caused his District partner to bleed out. Luna's eyes flicked to Dyna's dead body, and Bec clenched his fist, probably to keep from doing the same.

"I want to win," Bec said. "I'll help you. I'll help you so that we can end this faster. Benefitting you all benefits me, after all, right? Why would I not help the strongest alliance in the Games?"

That convinces them. Luna seems to relax a bit, but is still staring at him harshly. "Fine. But the moment you stop being useful, it's the end for you. All agreed?"

The others affirmed, even Attila.

"Good. Now, let's collect these supplies, then little Mr. Strategy here is going to make himself useful." The second none of them were looking at him, Bec swallowed hard and gave a quick glance to Dyna's contorted, dead body, lying on the ground.

"Shoot the cannons," Lux said. At least he wasn't so close to tears anymore. But he still sounded like a completely different person. He was.

Lux had grown up watching the Games, but now he was living them. He was living them and it hurt, goddammit, it hurt so bad.

Six cannons shot off. One was for the most widely-predicted Victor. One was for the elusive artist who didn't bother with rules. One was for a girl who trained and worked hard. One was for a person with a partner who was probably absolutely beside himself.

One of them was for a Capitolite.

And one of them was for the tribute that Lux wanted nothing more than to save. For Cupid's sake. For Numitor's.

The six cannons played over and over again in Lux's head, each of them representing a person with hopes, dreams, a person that didn't deserve to be there.

Lux's heart dropped to his stomach as he realized that this was only the beginning.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Just to let you know, I really honest to goodness had no intention of copying BMO with any part of this chapter. The plotline with the Careers was actually on Bec's form, and I hesitated because I didn't want it to be too similar to BMO but I just couldn't resist it. So I really hope I made it different enough, because it was never my intent to copy! So I'm really sorry if that's how it came across Tracee!**_

 _ **So, yeah… Here it is! If your tribute died, I am so sorry. This was such an incredibly tough decision, and it's only going to get harder from here. I really don't know what else to say except for I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you're not mad at me if I killed your tribute. And with all my heart I hope you enjoyed seeing them come to life and will stick around to see how the other tributes do and how their legacies live on, because they're definitely going to live on. Not like Silhouettes though. Lol.**_

 _ **First, though, the Chapter question!**_

 _ **CQ: What did you think of the BB!? What (if anything) surprised you? Who out of these tributes are you going to miss the most?**_

 _ **Anyways, here are my eulogies. I try to give new placements when possible, so if you're trying to get one of each maybe I can help up :) Again, this was SO HARD. I went back and forth SO MUCH. I loved these characters all so very, very much and I am so thankful you trusted them to me. More rambling below. Also, tfw you realize that the killers go perfectly in District order T.T That was totally unintentional, lol.**_

 _ **24**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Acacia Blasdell, District 2- Killed by Chancellor Magnusun, D1**_

 _ **I know, I know, I haven't shut up lately about how I hate surprise Career bloodbath deaths. But there is one submitter that is not reading and that I know never will. If you haven't noticed yet, Jess and I are no longer on speaking terms, so please don't ask me anything about them and don't be surprised if Kendal isn't back in the sequel to this story. That being said, I don't regret Kendal winning and I will not change the ending to Silhouettes. Anyways, I just didn't think it was fair that a tribute whose submitter will never read would get farther than any other tributes, because literally every other submitter is reading or planning to read the story. It just wouldn't have been fair to me. That being said, I did have an amazing time bringing this lovely character to life, and I'm sorry she didn't get the end that everyone was expecting. I did have a lot of fun with her, so Jess, if you ever read this, thanks for her.**_

 _ **23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Place- Desiree Menghiasi, District 6- Killed by Dania Lidano, D2**_

 _ **Oh, Desiree. She was actually my last choice, it was between her and Persei. Ultimately, I chose her because I just didn't know where to go with her. I knew you kind of saw this coming, Plat, just based off of what was on her form for training and private sessions and all. I'm sorry that she kind of flat-lined before dying in terms of plot and arc. I hope that you liked how I brought her to life, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to do so. Her relationships with her family and girlfriend were great and she was certainly unique. I kind of ran with her in a different direction than I think you intended, so I hope that I was able to make it work. She'll continue to be present through the rest of the story, and I hope that you stick around to see what else goes down and submit to the sequel to this story, whenever that comes around! Thanks again for this lovely tribute, Plat! :D I hope I did well with her.**_

 _ **22**_ _ **nd**_ _ **Place- Miya Bellion, District 10- Killed by Nerio Thames, D4**_

 _ **Oh, Miya. I just always struggled to write her and wasn't really sure where to go with her either. The worldbuilding you did in her form really helped how I shaped Ten's Academy structure, and for that I will always be grateful because it gave a lot of really interesting plotlines to Arthur and Roxanne. She and Attila were really fun to write because they had a really interesting dynamic. Miya was just a strong girl that was determined to train future tributes that just wound up in a really bad situation, total wrong time and place. Among all the other plotlines that other tributes had, I just couldn't find a place for poor Miya. She was just so determined and cold and ready to do whatever it took. I really hope I was able to give her a good amount of spotlight like she deserves because she's a total badass and her legacy is certainly going to live on through her allies and of course her friends and family back home. Cass, I hope when you catch up you're satisfied with how I portrayed this queen and consider submitting to the sequel to this story if your life becomes less crazy! :)**_

 _ **21**_ _ **st**_ _ **Place- Dyna Hoalburn, District 5, Killed by Luna Pentti, D4**_

 _ **KATEEEEE. I'M SO SORRY MY MAN. Two full SYOTs and I bloodbath yours twice in a row! I'm the worst. This was one of the ones I went back and forth with for, like, EVER. Dyna was just so much fun, they were super spunky and I really wanted to have them live a while despite having a boyfriend back home they were going to be loyal to. My original plan was actually for them to fall in love with Bec because he reminded them of Owen. Ultimately, though, it just came down to driving the plot, and when I saw Bec's strategy I just decided to do it. I'm so sorry man T.T Your tributes just succeed in my partials much better than in my full ones… Anyways, I hope you are having a BOMB TIME at college and that life is only throwing good things your way. No worries about catching up, take your time! I hope that you enjoy how I portrayed your character and know that their legacy will definitely live on through Bec and Owen back home. I hope you keep on sending your wonderfully quirky, unique, totally awesome characters my way!**_

 _ **20**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Daria Junius, District 11, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains, D10**_

 _ **Oh, Daria, my sweet child. Here's a tribute that was totally unique and totally awesome. She was just so bubbly and her situation of being caught in the middle between District and Capitol was something I've never written before. She was just a bubbly ray of sunshine that never deserved (or expected) to be thrown into this mess. She had the potential for quite an arc, but I ultimately decided to kill her early because her role in this story is FAR from over. Either way, she was an absolute joy to write. She was a really neat mix between bubbly extrovert and awkward outcast, because she never really found where she fit in. I always enjoyed when her POVs came around because I've never had (or seen!) a tribute like her who is excited for the Games because of a Capitol upbringing. She was just so much fun, and I kind of took her plot and turned it into something much, MUCH bigger. HEAR THAT EVERYONE? THE SUBPLOT IS ENTIRELY GOLDIE'S FAULT NOT MINE. I AM NOT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FEELS THAT COME WITH THE SUBPLOT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Lol, I'm teasing. But really, it's all because of Daria that I even planned anything on the side. And now we're in for a ride. So thank you, Goldie! Thanks to your out-of-the-box character, you made me think out of the box and I think it added something really amazing to this story! I hope you stay around to see how her legacy lives on through the subplot and submit another unique, fun character for the sequel!**_

 _ **19**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Semper Celandine, District 8, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains**_

 _ **OH MY GOSH. THIS WAS. SO HARD. FUCK. DAMMIT. I HATE ME. I'M SO SORRY. Man. I kind of knew that this was going to be a thing for a while, just because he's going to continue to be such a key role in… A bunch of stuff that happens in the future. So this is certainly not the end of this sweet child that I hate myself for killing off. At least he got to be happy for one night before it happened. Now he'll get to be with his family. Ugh. My poor heart. I am suffering. Anyways, Ana (right?) thank you so much for this absolutely AMAZING child! I had SO MUCH FUN bringing him to life, and every POV of his just came to me so easily. And man, Sempertor. SEMPERTOR. THAT JUST KILLED ME. I JUST… AGH. I THOUGHT OF IT AND THEN I WAS LIKE "OH HELLS YEAH." I HAD THAT WHOLE POV WRITTEN LONG BEFORE I ACTUALLY SAT DOWN TO WRITE IT. But beyond my gushing about this adorable ship, let's get back to the amazing-ness that is Semper. He was just so sweet and though he had a sad backstory, he was a really good character beyond that. His relationships with his family and friends broke my heart and all I want is for him to be peaceful in the afterlife (and Numitor's guardian angel. Definitely Numitor's guardian angel.) He was a sweetheart and trust me, this is not the last you're going to hear from him. I hope you stick around to see what else goes down, and I hope you send another absolutely amazing character my way for the next story! And if you ever want to scream with me about some Sempertor heacanons in a universe in which the Hunger Games don't exist, I am always ready to scream about these adorable puppies.**_

 _ **Alright, scores. First, here are the scores for all you guys!**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 44**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 130**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 205**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 286**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 70**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 290**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 245**_

 _ **david12341: 330**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 665**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 435**_

 _ **epictomguy: 24**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire'sCatching: 5**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 69**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 259**_

 _ **goldie031: 239**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 324**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 843**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 240**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **MissVolturiKingsfan: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10- assuming that the guest review after is yours**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 24**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 329**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 310**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 10**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 14**_

 _ **tracelyn: 80**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 10**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 150**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **And here are things and what they cost! Every thing you send can come with a note of your choice, and the prices WILL inflate as the Games go. Next chapter, I will make a list of who has what (including what exactly is in the backpacks that were picked up) and needs what so if you want to wait for that, feel free! Note: I have NOTHING planned from here, so sending sponsor stuff could DRAMATICALLY impact the plot. Some stories open for sponsoring but gifts don't REALLY matter but literally they could be the difference between life and death (they have been before) so make sure to use those points! :D To sponsor, just send me a PM saying what to send to whom, and (optional) what the note should say.**_

 _ **Note: if there's something you want to send that isn't on the list, PM me and I'll give you a price. Also, if you want to combine points with another submitter to get something for a tribute, that is allowed as long as both parties agree to it!**_

 _ **Also, if you want to blow all your points and get a bunch of stuff for a tribute, that's totally fine, but I'll only send one gift a day from the same person. However, if two different people sponsor the same tribute, then the tribute will get two presents in one day. Hope that makes sense!**_

 _ **So, here are the Prices!**_

 _ **Battery (for flashlight/lanterns): 10**_

 _ **Small Canteen (Empty): 15**_

 _ **Large Canteen (empty): 20**_

 _ **Blanket: 20**_

 _ **Compass: 25**_

 _ **Hat: 25**_

 _ **COOL Hat: 26**_

 _ **Pillow: 30**_

 _ **Towel: 30**_

 _ **Basic First-Aid Kit: 35**_

 _ **Socks/shoes/shirts/extra articles of clothing: 35**_

 _ **Bandages: 40**_

 _ **Functioning Flashlight: 40**_

 _ **Simple foods (bags of jerky, crackers, or dried fruit): 45**_

 _ **Sunscreen: 55**_

 _ **Small Canteen (with water): 55**_

 _ **Iodine (to disinfect water): 55**_

 _ **Well-functioning Lantern: 60**_

 _ **Matches: 68**_

 _ **Large Canteen (with water): 75**_

 _ **Functioning Sleeping Bag: 75**_

 _ **Night-vision goggles: 80**_

 _ **Knife: 90**_

 _ **High-Quality Food (bread from a District, meat, broth/soup): 90**_

 _ **Tribute's Favorite Capitol Meal: 100**_

 _ **Complex First-Aid Kit: 110**_

 _ **Medicine: 150**_

 _ **Tribute's weapon of choice: 140**_

 _ **Arena Map: 200**_

 _ **Cool! Also, on a higher note, I might make another poll for ships that involve mentors, Victors, escorts, etc. and the winner of the vote will get something neat like a POV or a deleted scene or something. Speaking of, there's a bunch of deleted scenes on the blog so if you're interested, they're there!**_

 _ **Anyways, I hope nobody's TOO MAD at me T.T Buckle up, my friends. It's only going to get harder from here.**_


	33. Day 2 I: Doubts

_The second day_

-Kaelys Deinard, 18, District 3-

Kaelys couldn't help but doubt.

She had stayed awake half the night keeping watch and all the while her mind was racing. Even when she laid down and closed her eyes, she didn't sleep. She just kept thinking about Ashlyn. She couldn't help but think about her. After all, Ashlyn's ally had died, and now she was all alone. How could Kaelys have just left her like that? Kaelys had left Ashlyn just like her parents had done to her, and she knew it.

But Kaelys wanted to live. She wanted to get back home to her friends, the ones she considered her family. She wanted so badly to make it home. There was no doubt in her mind about that. Who wouldn't? No matter what kind of shit life you've had so far, who wouldn't want to go home? Winning the Games is essentially a second chance, after all. A chance to start over. Even if the only thing she had as motivation was a fear of death, that was something that was pushing her. She couldn't just throw away her chance. And she was sure that there were going to be tributes that did just that. She couldn't afford to be one of them… Right?

But at the same time, some people were worth dying for. Maybe, right? Kaelys would take the bullet for any of her friends back home, if that was what it came to. She knew that. They were the ones she was fighting to get back to, right? And to get there she would have to do whatever it took.

Ashlyn was alone. Kaelys knew what it was like to be alone. Damn, did she know what it was like to be alone. She had lived so much of her life alone, after all. Who would care about an orphan like her, right? Kaelys knew that her own parents didn't care enough about her to keep her, so why would anyone else? Kaelys knew what it was like to be alone. She knew those feelings all too well. They were like her old friends. She had built her defenses to manage those feelings, after all.

 _Ashlyn can handle it,_ Kaelys reminded herself. _Ashlyn is an independent person._ Kaelys wishes she could control the feelings that were whirling around in her stomach. She tried to push away the thought that Ashlyn is worth dying for. Kaelys knew she couldn't afford to think that way in a place like this.

It was a mutual agreement to split in the Arena. Neither Kaelys nor Ashlyn was going to run from the truth. The painful truth that one of them would have to die for the other to live. They weren't stupid, and neither was really the type to lie to herself. They both knew where they were. They both knew that getting attached was a mistake.

The word echoed in Kaelys's head. _Mistake, mistake, mistake._ Kaelys had been a mistake. That was why her parents gave her up, wasn't it? She was nothing but an oops. Neither Kaelys nor Ashlyn had said the word, but Kaelys was pretty sure both of them were thinking about it. It was a mistake.

 _That can't be true…_ Kaelys thought to herself. _It can't have been a mistake…_ But it was, and ultimately, she knew it was. It was the wrong place, the wrong time. For Ashlyn, the wrong person. Ashlyn… She needed the sweet girl, the girl that was always positive, the girl that was sweet and kind and compassionate, the girl that was gentle and soothing and friendly, the girl that was affectionate and would treat her like a princess from the very beginning. Not the orphan that did nothing but cause trouble wherever the hell she went. It was all wrong. It shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake.

Kaelys's heart ached, but she knew it was only fair to Ashlyn to remind herself over and over again of that fact. It was a mistake. Then was not the time. There was not the place. It never could have worked. And as much as Kaelys knew that, it didn't soothe her pain. It didn't help that she knew, she just knew that Ashlyn's heart was breaking too. Kaelys could see it in her eyes when they'd agreed to separate, when they'd parted ways that night. She knew that both of their hearts were broken.

 _That must be a sign, right?_ the pathetically optimistic part of her thought. _If her heart is broken and mine is broken too, that makes no sense. We should be together!_ Kaelys was soon finding that love was not that easy, though. There were too many other factors. There was timing, location, situation. And that was what wasn't right. Kaelys was just trying to protect… Who was she trying to protect? Ashlyn? Or herself? Was she breaking both of their hearts because of her cowardice? Was she doing the right thing? For some reason Kaelys couldn't place, she felt like that was all her fault.

 _Ashlyn can handle herself_ , Kaelys thought. _We agreed to this. She's mature and strong._ Kaelys knew that she stood no chance against any of the tributes from Career districts, though.

She was starting to regret her choice. The choice they'd agreed on. After all, what if nobody ever loved Kaelys again? In fact, Kaelys was sure that this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Who would love Kaelys? And who could Kaelys love? This was probably Kaelys's first and only shot at being with her soulmate. Nobody else would feel like this about her. She would never feel so strongly about anyone else. And she'd totally thrown her first and only opportunity at having a forever away. And Kaelys wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"You okay Kaelys?" a voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts. It was Jasper. He was holding out a cracker to her. His dark hair, which had been styled neatly through his time in the Capitol, was now a mess of bedhead, and his eyes looked tired, but still bright.

"Yeah," she said, taking the food and nibbling on it.

"Whatcha thinkin' bout?" June asked, running her hands through her hair to smooth it down.

Kaelys didn't feel like lying about this. "Love is complicated."

The two couples both exchanged glances. It was actually pretty laughable. It obviously wasn't too complicated for either of those ones, right? They were both happy and together, which was more than Kaelys could say for herself.

"No kidding," June said finally. Kaelys felt a little bothered at that, just because she barely had any room to talk, but kept her mouth shut.

There was a pause, only filled by the munching sounds of the allies nibbling on crackers of their own.

"So, what's the _game_ plan for today?" Jasper asked, bouncing his eyebrows. "Get it? Because we're in the game room?"

The others were silent. Kaelys wasn't sure what to do. The only option she really wanted was to find Ashlyn. But that would be extremely challenging on such a large Arena. Then again, Kaelys wasn't exactly intending on sitting still and letting the others do what they will. The truth was that they would all have to die for Kaelys to win, and therefore she was willing to do what it took to get there. It wouldn't be easy, but it was something Kaelys knew she had to do. And if that was the case, then she'd do it.

"I don't think sitting around and waiting is a good idea," she said finally. The others seemed slightly surprised at that. "I don't know why you look so shocked," Kaelys added. "We have the advantage of numbers and fighters. The sooner we end this, the sooner one of us gets home."

Jasper gave Ollie and Jacques a nervous look. June was the first to agree with what Kaelys was saying. She looked nervous, but Kaelys knew she would agree.

"But…" Jasper laughed nervously. "We're in the game room. So why don't we play some games?" Kaelys glanced over, sure he was joking. "How about it?"

"Now?" Jacques asked.

"Sure! I mean, we have this room all to ourselves, right? The walls are all glass so we can see if someone else is coming! And the sun is bright and lovely!" He seemed to regain the energy he'd lost by Kaelys's statement.

"I'm down," June said, and soon Jacques and Ollie agreed. They raced off to play foosball, all of them chattering as if they weren't in a fight to the death.

"Kaelys!" Ollie called. "There's a place for you on our team!"

"No, join our team!" Jasper said. "We're much better, right June?"

"Hells yeah we are."

"No," Kaelys said curtly, "Thank you." The others either didn't notice her annoyance or didn't care. They were chattering and laughing as they played, played, played away, as if six people _hadn't_ died the day prior. As if seventeen more _wouldn't_ die before one of them could go home. They just kept playing. As if they wouldn't have to watch three of their opponents choke on crimson blood. Kaelys could have laughed she was so irritated.

"Sure you don't want to join the winners' side Kaelys?" Jasper asked, bouncing on his feet in victory.

Kaelys couldn't hide her feelings from them. That wouldn't have been good of her. Being petty and passive aggressive wouldn't do anything, and she knew that.

"No," she said. "Don't you all understand where we are? What this is?"

The four of them exchanged a glance.

"I do," Jacques said with a shrug of the shoulders. Kaelys didn't doubt he did, he was just a twisted kid that didn't care.

"We're in a fight to the death, if you don't remember," Kaelys said, glaring at each of them. "I just made the ultimate sacrifice, and you know _why_? Because that's how much I don't want to die! I will _never_ find _anyone_ that's even _close_ to her! I gave her up and let her go, and you know why!?" she paused briefly, but not long enough for any of them to answer. "Because I want to _live_! I want to get out of this hellscape! I want to be that one person that gets out! Don't you?! Don't you all want to live?!"

The others were silent. Ollie bit his lip, his eyes looking sad. June stared at her shoes. Jasper's gaze flicked to June for a second before staring at the table.

"We're not going to live if we keep pulling shit like this."

"I just wanted to keep it light," Jasper muttered.

"Now's not the time for _light_!" Kaelys said. "Now's the time to _fight!_ Don't you want to go back home?! I know I do. I gave up my forever for this. I have no other choice but to take it seriously."

The others were quiet, all of them thinking about different things. Nobody spoke for that little while. Kaelys took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down.

"She's right," June said quietly. "We have to be focused on the task at hand."

"We all want to go home," Ollie said quietly. "We… All want to go home… Right?" He glanced at Jacques, looking a bit worried. The boy from Twelve gave a nod.

"Then let's take the initiative," Kaelys said. "We are the biggest alliance in the Games. The Careers lost Miya. They only have four now. We have five. We have the advantage in any battle we pick."

The Nine tributes exchanged a look, but neither said anything. "So, let's show the Gamemakers, the Capitol, and the nation that we are not going to sit back. We're going to fight!"

"But… Kaelys?" June said, raising an eyebrow. "All we have is a knife. There are five tributes, one knife."

Kaelys glanced disdainfully at their supplies. June was right. Kaelys had forgotten that not all of her allies were at good at hand-to-hand as she was. "Well… We…"

"Look!" Jasper interrupted, pointing up at the sky. Kaelys squinted, holding a hand up by her face to keep the sun out of her eyes. Soon, the parachutes came into sight. And there were a lot of them.

"Prentice mentioned sponsoring might get crazy," June laughed, "But this is a little ridiculous."

"Good ridiculous though," Ollie said, and everyone, including Kaelys, quickly nodded.

There were five total, one for each of them it seemed. Each was marked on the top lid with a District seal and a set of initials. The gifts were passed around like Winter Fest morning in the orphanage, and just like every Winter Festival, Kaelys didn't get any presents. She frowned as the others opened theirs. She was glad to be getting supplies, but couldn't help wondering if she would have gotten something if she had gone with Ashlyn. _"It's what the crowds want,"_ Ellie had told her. Kaelys was starting to see now that maybe her mentor was right.

Ollie was the first to open his. He pulled out a large canteen, smiling. "Woah, this is full!"

"Oh, awesome!" Jasper said, seemingly excited at receiving presents, as Kaelys figured he would be.

"There's a note!" Ollie said, pulling out a small piece of paper. "It says…" he started to read. "For the Double Dating Outer District Duos (Jusper and Jallie), use this to Provide."

Kaelys raised an eyebrow as the attention went to Jasper, who was pulling his present out from the container.

"I got… Oh my God, what is this?" He pulled it out and everyone looked confused. It looked like a stuffed shark, its jaws hanging open.

"Dear," June said, snorting, "I think it's a hat."

"A… Oh! I see!" Jasper put it on his head, beaming and looking extremely satisfied with himself.

"There's a note here too," he said, smiling. "For the Double Dating Outer District Duos (Jusper and Jallie), use this to Problem Solve."

"What kind of problem is that thing gonna solve?" June asked teasingly.

"Maybe there are sharks in the water," Jasper said. "And maybe they'll see this cool hat and make me their king."

"Good thing I don't intend on going swimming then," Kaelys said.

Jacques was next. From his container he pulled out a shiny, sharp, beautiful knife with an engraved handle. "Here's mine," he said. Kaelys was relieved. The other stuff was alright, but she was glad to have another weapon. "And the note says…" he cleared his throat, "For the Double Dating Outer District Duos (Jusper and Jallie), use this to Protect."

Kaelys sighed.

"Well, mine also has a note," she said. "For the Double Dating Outer District Duos (Jusper and Jallie), use this to Prolong."

"That's a help," Ollie said, smiling.

"If we know how to use it right," Kaelys said. "What else did you get?"

June opened the last sponsor parachute, the largest of them all. "It's… Woah…" She pulled out a bow. It was one of the prettiest bows Kaelys had ever seen. It was a sleek, shiny red color. "Neat!" June chirped, smiling. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, thanks!" the others chirped. Kaelys just sighed.

"Wait, is that a note there?" Jasper asked. "What does it say?"

June noticed the note on a tag attached to bow. She unstuck it and burst out laughing.

"What is it?" Ollie asked.

"It says…" June snickered. She couldn't even get it out she was laughing so hard, so she just showed the paper to them all. In neat handwriting, it said: _#June4Victor125._

Jasper laughed, but the others exchanged looks. Maybe she was laughing because those were the words she drew on her escort's face. Or maybe she was laughing because she had a plan. Kaelys wasn't ready to trust her, or any of the rest of them. They had all said they wanted to get home, after all. And if they were smart, they weren't trusting Kaelys either.

"Well, now we have three weapons for the five of us," Kaelys said, bringing her allies back to reality. "I say that Ollie and Jacques take the knives. June, you have the bow. That means Jasper and I will fight with our fists."

"M-Me?!" Jasper asked, surprised.

"Yes," Kaelys said. "We have no other choice."

Jasper took a deep, nervous breath. Kaelys could read in his eyes that he didn't really think he could do it. "Alright."

"Then it's decided. Let's rest up, get back in the right mindset, have some lunch, and go."

The others all exchanged nervous glances, but the all agreed.

 _Now we're cooking with oil,_ Kaelys thought, feeling satisfied. _I just have to keep focusing on the win._

That, however, was easier said than done.

~.~.

-Ester Perliam, 16, District 8-

Ester was running off of about half an hour of sleep and pure survival instinct at this point. Never in her life had she felt _this_ terrible. Attila and Dania had worked together to stitch up the wound that Riggs had left, and the sight of it alone was enough to make Ester sick.

Almost worse was the fact that she had inflicted worse damage on him.

Yeah, maybe she had to do it… Maybe she had no other choice. But it wasn't exactly a thought that was just going to disappear or suddenly become okay. No, there was no such thought in a place like this.

" _You have to lose yourself,"_ Tartan had told her. _"If you want to win then you have to change. Natural selection at its finest. The weak die. The ones that evolve survive."_

Ester was starting to see what he meant. Nobody could win the Games and walk out the same as they were before going in.

Semper was dead. That was one of the many thoughts that she just couldn't stop thinking, no matter how much she wanted to. She knew that if she did actually get some sleep, some real sleep in a bed, she would have nightmare after nightmare about him. He was only a year younger than her, after all… The thought that he was just… Gone…

Ester remembered a few years back, back when she was, oh, thirteen, fourteen? Someone from the high school had been reaped and died in the Games. Ester saw it as her big break. She spent so much time in her room, writing and rewriting, wording and rewording until she had the perfect tragic, heartbreaking tale of pain. But she hadn't actually felt anything. Hell, she didn't know the girl that was offed. That girl was nothing to Ester but an opportunity. And opportunity to get ahead. It was much different when that tribute was… Someone that she knew. Fairly well.

" _It should be no different,"_ the Tartan in her head said. _"It should be no different. He was only standing in your way, after all. Did you see him stealing the crowds like that? More crowd for him means less crowd for Ester."_

 _Stop thinking ugly thoughts,_ Ester scolded herself. But it was no use. Ester knew everything about ugly thoughts. She ran a gossip column, for Snow's sake! She had seen it all. She had thought it all. She had written it all.

" _You can use that to your advantage, you know?"_ the Tartan in her head asked.

 _I know._

" _You know how to destroy people,"_ said mind Tartan.

 _I know. I do. I have._

" _Use it."_

 _This is life and death._

" _It's either life for them or life for you."_

 _Get out of my head._

" _I'm only here because you put me here. You can stop thinking about me any time, Princess."_

 _I said get out!_

" _And I'm still here. Because you know I'm right."_

Ester snapped out of her thoughts as her allies were talking about their plan for the day.

 _I must be going fucking crazy,_ she thought.

" _Embrace it."_

Ester clenched her fists. She didn't want to have this mental argument with someone who wasn't even there. _I'm just sleep deprived,_ she thought. _I'm injured and tired and in pain. I just need to heal some more and get some real sleep._

" _Keep telling yourself that, Doll."_

Ester jumped when Attila put his hand on her shoulder, so much that she stretched her stitches and yelped at the sudden jolt of pain.

"Sorry," the boy from Ten grunted, "Are you alright?"

Ester bit her lip but nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She was starting to wonder whether or not that was true.

"Ester, are you alright to walk?" Dania asked, causing the girl to look up. "Oh, um, I-I'm fine."

"Then we have our plan," Luna said decidedly, smiling smugly. "Today we're going to put Ginger over here to work."

"I won't let you down," Bec promised. Ester still wasn't sure how to feel about him. She knew that he wasn't dumb enough to challenge the group, but there was absolutely no trust between them. In a way, though, this had worked out to Ester's advantage. When Ester had joined, she was the greenie, and the others bonded by the fact that they were original pack members. Ester isn't the greenie anymore. She's not the one with a target on her back anymore. She was one of the pack now, whether Luna and Dania liked it or not (she was pretty sure she knew how Attila felt about her being in the pack, wink wink). She couldn't help but smile a bit when she thought about that. It was actually still pretty crazy, the fact that he felt just as strongly about her as she did about him. It was a neat feeling.

When they were eating lunch, Attila put his arm around Ester's shoulders wordlessly. She relaxed under his touch, and moved closer so she could feel him breathe as the alliance ate their breakfast. She couldn't help but feel happy when they sat like this. Part of her knows that maybe she shouldn't be this way in a place where so many people want her dead. But Attila is much stronger and more powerful than Ester. And he's stronger than most every tribute in this Arena. Having him backing her can only mean good things. Besides, this is going to be the last strain of life for one of them. Might as well enjoy it, right?

Ester's heart sank when she thought about that. She couldn't afford to be bogged down by the negatives, right? She never had been in the past, after all! She just had to keep her energy and her optimism, they would help her survive. They were supporting each other. They were backing each other. And, most importantly, they were together. No matter what happened, she would be fine. She had to keep believing that if she ever wanted it to be true.

For now, she just enjoyed feeling the warmth of his chest and side, and the feeling of them breathing as they ate their lunch together. Bec, for once, didn't talk. The conversation was mostly between Luna and Dania. For once, Ester really didn't want to say anything. She didn't want to make any trouble. It was far too early for that, with far too many strong, trained, and experience foes to be eliminated.

Soon, Luna and Dania were reviewing with Bec the directions some of the tributes went off in. The big focus at the moment was the biggest alliance. Ester agreed with Luna ( _whaaaat_? Ester agree with _Luna_?) that the biggest alliance should be the first target.

"Might as well have a good old-fashioned showdown with even numbers," she was saying. "After all, any of the Careers could take on any of those tributes and live to tell the tale, right?"

Ester wasn't sure if she believed that, but she was sure that Luna didn't believe it. Which pissed her off, but she didn't mention anything. She just agreed with the rest of them.

Before they were done eating, sponsor parachutes dropped out of the ceiling of the room and landed by the group.

"Sponsors already?" Dania asked, surprised.

Luna's lips went up in a smirk. "I knew they'd love us."

Ester couldn't help but smile a bit. They had a lot, what else could anyone possibly send them? Not that she was complaining, though. She liked having sponsors. She could only hope that, in the end, the sponsors went for her and Attila over the others, though. Ester was pretty confident that they would, though. Dania's only chance at love (or acting) was gone, after all, and Luna didn't even have one. Bec would never have one. Ester thought they had a pretty good chance. Well… There was something that was nagging at her.

It was something she could forget when she was under his arm and he was holding her close. Something she could forget when he gave her a rare smile and her heart melted. It was something she only held in the back of her mind when she wasn't with him.

 _I will never have sex with him._

That was not a question and it wasn't negotiable. Sometimes she wondered if and when they would ever have this conversation. He wasn't one for talking much, which worried Ester. What if she couldn't stop him?

She tried to reassure herself. He'd stop if she said to. He would understand. He could still love her without it. But some part of Ester, no matter how small, doubted that. He ran so much off of instinct. He just did things because he felt like they were right. What if he pushed her too far? What if he didn't stop? Ester was nervous about that.

Yeah, maybe it was dumb to worry about this so soon. After all, they hadn't even officially started dating or anything until two days prior. But in a place where death was so _real_ … What if he wanted to go all the way before it was too late? What if he got mad and turned on Ester? What if he killed her?

 _Attila wouldn't do that,_ she would tell herself. But was she sure about that? Was she sure he wouldn't pull a Joule and get a fix from Luna? How could she know for sure?

 _I just have to trust him…_ But the truth was that she barely knew anything about him.

" _You can't trust anyone anymore, Doll."_

Ester clenched her fists.

 _Watch me._

The parachutes were handed out. Bec got one, and Attila got the other. _Of course Attila got one,_ Ester thought proudly. _He's amazing and I can see why sponsors would be all over him._

Bec opened his first, under close watch of the others. Luna wasn't willing to risk Bec getting a secret weapon behind the others' backs, and Ester agreed with her on this one (again? Wow, amazing…). It was a vial of medicine. Luna investigated, and gave the all clear. It was put in a backpack. Ester wondered if Luna would make him share with the rest of us. After all, that seemed to be the patter with supplies thus far.

"What's the note?" she asked.

"What?" Bec said, looking confused.

"The note."

"Oh. This." He pulled it out of his pocket, which made Ester suspicious. Had he been trying to hide it for a reason? He showed it to Luna.

"Use this to your advantage," she read, before giving a small nod. "Hm."

"What'd you get?" Dania asked Attila. Ester couldn't help but be curious too. They didn't need much, what could someone possibly want to send him?

Ester looked over his shoulder as he opened the package. He pulled out….

"A…Hat?"

Attila examined the hat. It was white with a blue bill and a red #1 printed on it. Attached to it were two cans, which were connected to tubes that came down into something that looked kind of like a straw.

"A soda-drinking hat!" Dania said. Bec stifled laughter as Attila put it on his head. It looked pretty ridiculous, but it was cute. Ester couldn't help giggling into her hand.

Attila put the nub of the straw into his mouth and sipped.

"Is that what it really is?" Dania asked.

Attila gave a thumbs-up, and that was when Dania, Bec, and Ester lost it laughing. Even Attila gave a brief chuckle, which made Ester's heart pound. What a wonderful noise. Even Luna had a small smile on her face for just a second, before quickly wiping it off and giving them all a stink-eye.

"I'm jealous," Dania said teasingly, and everyone laughed some more.

"I wanna try!" Bec joked tentatively, and everyone laughed, which broke a lot of the tension that had been there.

"But it's his hat, Mr _._ Bec. He is number one!" Ester said, which caused them all to laugh more. After all the death and tension and threats, it was nice, even if for just a moment, to totally let go. It was so wonderful that Ester forgot about the pain of her wound and her lack of sleep. As soon as the moment of bliss had begun, though, it had ended.

"You shouldn't wear that all the time," Luna sighed. "You'd give us away in a heartbeat."

Attila nodded, but continued sipping the soda as the rest of them finished their lunch.

He pulled out the note that came with it while the others were eating. Ester read it over his shoulder and noticed that it said, "Focus on the Games, you got what it takes kid, go get 'em!" She couldn't help but smile at that. She didn't know why, but the thought of Attila being called a kid just amused her.

He put his hat in his backpack when they were ready to start moving. Ester was pretty sure he was not going to share it. For some reason, she just found this absolutely adorable, though. Then he picked up his glaive, and he quickly became less adorable.

Ester felt a chill course through her body at the sight. She couldn't see him holding the weapon without the memories of what he did to Semper flying back to her. He had killed her District partner, after all. Her friend! When they were together, it was easy to forget. It was easy to get lost when they were together.

Ester took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't afford to have these thoughts now. She couldn't be mad at him. He'd just done what he had to in order to survive. For her to win, Semper would have had to die eventually.

Still, though, it was pretty messed up… She was still being so lovey with him even after… after he killed… Two people. Two people that were both only a year younger than her. One of them was her friend…

That didn't matter. Here, that couldn't matter. It just couldn't. He did what he had to, and if she wanted to live, she would have to do the same.

"Let's go Eight!" Luna called, sounding irritated. Quickly, Ester picked up her backpack and weapon and hurried to join them.

She couldn't be mad. He was doing what he had to. She would have to do the same… She would have to do the same…

 _I will have to do the same…_

The Tartan in her mind smirked.

" _Welcome to the Dark Side, Doll."_

~.~.

-Syca Gallen, 15, District 7-

Syca was still in shock. So much had happened in a matter of a day… No, hours… No, minutes… Hell, maybe even seconds.

The boy from District Seven stared at the axe in his hands. He'd gotten it for himself from the Cornucopia. Somehow, he'd escaped the bloodbath with supplies: and his life.

If anything, Daria should have gotten away. She didn't even go for supplies. She should have been alive, and Syca should have died. And he knew it. Oh, he knew it. Three other fifteen-year-olds died that day. Syca could have easily been one of them. Hell, he'd gone in half-expecting to be one. He just… He thought about Camellia, and Aconite and Senna and Helio… His family. His friends. He had so many reasons to live and he didn't want to let that go. When Persei gave him that look, Syca had been sent back in time to days before, when he had seen that look and felt totally dumb, not able to do anything except for smile at her. Then she attacked. She never cared about him. Syca was pretty sure he had always known that, but he kept holding on for no other reason than he was too afraid to let go.

In the moment, it felt amazing, taking that weapon. He felt super cool and badass, like Wolf. He felt on top of the world. He felt strong and important. And proud, too. He was really proud.

His glory shattered pretty quickly though. Not long after it happened his ally was taken out by the strongest tribute in the Games. Syca watched it happen.

As he ran away that day, he kept telling himself that he would get revenge. He would get Attila back for what he did. He was ready to fight that guy for taking out his ally. Syca was mad. He was hurt. He didn't know how else to cope. He vowed revenge.

Now, though, he was back down to earth. There was nothing he could do and he knew it. He couldn't take on Attila. Not even with this axe. The boy from Ten would strike him down so easily, just like he'd done to Daria.

Syca ended up in a spa area. The floor was made of pretty blue tiles, and the wall was a tiled mosaic of white flowers. Set up in a U were seven comfortable hybrids between chairs and beds. They were nothing but comfortable, and they were all facing an open window with a beautiful view of the sky and the ocean.

Even in the luxorious comfort of that room, Syca couldn't sleep. Every time he got close he would watch his ally die. Again, and again, _and again_ , he would watch his ally die. Again, again, and _again_ , he would watch his friend die. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there. Her hair as red as the blood that was gushing out of her wounds. Knowing that he could have stayed with her. She wasn't dead when he left. No, no, she was still breathing when he left. She _watched him leave her_. He left his dying friend, and he didn't even tell her goodbye! Syca couldn't help but hate himself for that. How could he ever forgive himself for doing that?

He was really starting to trust Persei and she left him hanging. But he had done the same thing to Daria. He left her in her most vulnerable moment. Her last breath was just as lonely as all the others had been. She had always been lonely, wouldn't it have made sense for her last moments, her last seconds, to be spent with a friend?! Wouldn't that have made sense?! Wouldn't that have been fair to her!? All she wanted was a friend, and when she finally thought she had one, he'd left her in her moment of greatest need. Syca hated the people that did that to him. But now he wondered if he had become what he hated.

He couldn't fall asleep without hearing Daria's screams. Her cries. Her pleas for help. He couldn't fall asleep without feeling the ground pounding against his feet, heart pounding in his chest, as he ran away, away from there, away from the pain.

All through the night, though, Syca hadn't cried. He considered that a pretty good achievement. He had to pretend he was strong for the sponsors, after all.

When he talked with Wolf at the party, the drummer had made an off-handed comment that being famous was about acting all the time. Acting like someone you can't be all the time. Like being a different version of yourself. Syca was starting to realize what exactly that entailed. It wasn't a feeling he could put into words, but Wolf had gotten close.

Syca was glad for the window. He liked to watch the sky, the stars, and their reflections sparkling on the water. He didn't even get seasick. The rocking of the boat comforted him, if anything. Even when he couldn't sleep, Syca found himself at peace. He wondered if he might try to get to the top level, so that he could see the sky and the water while feeling the wind on his face and smelling the sea. After all, when would he ever get this opportunity again?

 _When I win,_ he thought, looking at the blue water, sparkling in the sun and rippling gently. The sky was a beautifully bright blue with perfectly fluffy white clouds. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He didn't keep them too closed for too long, though, before he was seeing Daria dying again.

He had run away.

What would his sister say? What would his friends say? _"That's not the Syca we know," they would say._

Syca stared at the water, swallowing down another lump in his throat. He was not going to let the tears win. Not now. Not here. He had to keep acting, like Wolf said. He just had to be a really good actor like Wolf and Anakyn. He just had to keep it up for a few weeks, then he would be able to see his family again and move back home, move into a new home, a nicer home, a bigger home. A home where he and his sister and their friends would watch movies and make blanket forts and drink hot chocolate. A room where he could invite Helen and Anakyn over for hot chocolate and conveniently leave them alone together for… A while. There were so many possibilities. He just had to keep being brave. Or, acting the part. Brave like Wolf. He could be brave. He had been brave, when he took that weapon from Persei. He had been really brave. He could be brave.

 _Don't trick yourself. You ran away from your friend because you're a goddamn coward._

Syca had no idea where the thought came from, but as soon as it ran through his head he burst into tears. He hated that, he felt pathetic, but he couldn't hold them back anymore. That was the one log that broke that opened the dam. Water came flooding out of Syca's eyes and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Syca wanted to scream. He wanted to punch the glass so hard it cracked and water poured in, washing him away, washing him away from this life, away from the pain and sadness and grief. He wanted to stomp his feet, he wanted to go back in time, he wanted to tell his friend goodbye and stay with her, he wanted to go back and hold her hand, and if he would have died then so what, at least they would have been together! He wanted to thank her for being his friend because, goddammit, she was one of few that actually would! There were so many things he wanted to say to her and he hadn't said any of them. He hadn't said a damn thing about how appreciative he was of her. She died thinking she was unloved. She died thinking he didn't care. 

_Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she'd rather I be alive. Maybe she understood._

Syca bites the insides of his cheeks, hard, not caring about the pain, to keep from sobbing out loud. He knew damn well where he was. He refused to be that kid that died because he was caught crying by the Careers. He couldn't afford to be that kid. Not after everything he'd been through, everything he'd done.

 _I don't deserve to be alive right now…_ He knew it and he knew it damn well. But he knew that he couldn't focus on that. He couldn't focus on that, he had to focus on staying alive, he had to stay alive. He had to act brave. He had a lot on the line. And he couldn't let Daria die for nothing. He refused to do that. He had disrespected and hurt his friend enough. He couldn't let her down now by throwing away his chance.

It was hard, though. It was so hard when all he wanted to do was throw himself away. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to cry, the more he wanted to throw his axe at his reflection in the window, his pathetic reflection that shows all the pain and anguish, the grief and anger, that just wears it all on his sleeve, his pathetic reflection that can't even _act_ brave, let alone _be_ brave. He was so busy being proud of himself for taking the weapon that he had left a friend in need. He was so busy patting himself on the back for being brave that he had done the most cowardly thing he could have possibly done. And he hadn't suffered for it. She did. He caused her to suffer like that.

He wanted to throw his axe at his reflection and scream, but he couldn't afford to. That just made the pain, the misery, the anger even worse. He could feel it with every pulse, every beat of his heart he could feel it. He couldn't help but feel it in his bones. He hated himself with every cell of his being… He had to crack that glass. Syca's shaking hands wrapped around the axe handle, gripping it tightly as he stared at his pathetic self in the glass. His body was shaking, he was panting, clenching his teeth, tears were pouring out of his eyes, which were red and had dark circles under them. He looked like a mess, like a pathetic little mess… Like a loser. And that was exactly what he was.

Syca hefted the axe over his shoulder, but before he let it drop, he stopped. He wasn't exactly sure what made him stop. It was like he heard a voice in his head that made his arms and legs freeze up.

He stared at himself, axe hefted high, and, still shaking, slowly lowered it. He tried to see himself through someone else's eyes. Camellia wouldn't see what he saw. She saw her brother. A person she cared so deeply about that was hurting. A person she couldn't see die. She couldn't afford it. He couldn't do that to her. He couldn't take that person away from her. Ani, Kendal, and District Seven saw him as a hope for winning. A hope to bring food to them, to bring pride and glory to his District. Ani saw him as a friend, a person to be proud of, and fond of… He was his parents' baby, their only son. He was a support for his friends. He just… He couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt them all like that.

He dropped the blade slowly to the ground and dropped the axe. His breathing slowed slightly, his heart beat returning to normal. He reached up and wiped his eyes, and this time when he did no new tears came.

He just… Daria might still care about him. She may have understood why he left. Not because he didn't care. He just didn't want her legacy to end there. He would definitely keep it going, as long as he lived. He felt peaceful again. Slowly, he took the axe back so he could easily reach it if necessary, and sat back down, staring at the water. He felt calm again. He knew it may not last long, but decided to enjoy it while he could.

He was startled when something came out of the ceiling, but sighed in relief when he noticed it was just a sponsor parachute.

Syca was surprised. A gift? For him!? He was honored. A smile, a real smile spread across his face. Ani was working really hard for him, Syca just knew it. He quickly opened the package and pulled out a small canteen full of water. It wasn't much, but it was something. Something that proved to him that people still cared about him. Not that he didn't know before, it was just a nice reminder. Syca opened it and took a thankful gulp before putting the lid back on and vowing to ration it wisely.

"Thank you," he said, looking around as he had no idea where the camera may be. When he looked inside again, he noticed a piece of paper. A note. He picked it up and read.

 _Hurry up and win the games so I can show you how a real girl should treat you, unlike Persei._

Syca's face went red immediately. Was he famous enough for people to have celebrity crushes on him!? That was… Wow, that was crazy. But Syca couldn't say it was necessarily a bad feeling. He read the note again, another time, and another, and each time he read it his smile got slightly bigger and his face slightly redder.

"Th-Thanks," he stuttered out. He was totally flustered, but also totally honored. He put the note in his pocket. He would definitely look back on that if he was feeling down. "I-I'd love to meet you someday." He tried not to think about it too much, but soon he kept thinking of questions about whoever sent the note. _What does she look like? How old is she? Is she pretty?_

There would only be one way to find out.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Eyyy, finally got another chapter out! Sorry this was relatively uneventful, I had some important development things and spent so much time on making the Arena map and the has/needs list that I just couldn't even think about writing an action sequence, haha. Plus, after the bloodbath I figured I'd try for something short and light. And this chapter was really neither of those things, whoopsies. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the shenanigans and feels from this chapter! Next chapter the action will start up again for sure, though! I have everything organized now so hopefully next chapter won't take so long to be posted.**_

 _ **So yeah, the Arena maps are up on this story's blog! Also, a list of things that each alliance has and needs can be found on my profile for your sponsoring desires! Once again I made everything too cheap, but it makes sense that there'd be a lot of sponsoring for this particular Quell so I'll make it work.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who spent points on cool hats, lol. Hope they were cool enough for you all.**_

 _ **Also, to those of you who sent gifts to Chance and Nerio, they received them, I just didn't write about it because this chapter's already really long.**_

 _ **Also, I want to do a new poll, and I'm not sure if I want it to be favorite non-tribute ships or start an early poll for final 8 or something. Or if it should be a poll to find #Endgame4Demetrius, lmao. Any suggestions?**_

 _ **CQ: Which tributes or alliances would you like to see duke it out? Any predictions for the next big battle?**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 54**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 135**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 60**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 70**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 310**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 255**_

 _ **david12341: 200**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 685**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 484**_

 _ **epictomguy: 24**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire'sCatching: 5**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 53**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 269**_

 _ **goldie031: 249**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 334**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 843**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 105**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **MissVolturiKingsfan: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10- assuming that the guest review after is yours**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 24**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 339**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 320**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 10**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 14**_

 _ **tracelyn: 90**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 64**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 80**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **Thanks for all the patience and support! See you all next chapter!**_


	34. Day 2 II: Drowning, Crying, and Burning

_The second day_

-Wicke Valentine, 18, District 1-

There was no other word to describe how she felt than _drowning_.

Every breath that she took squeezed hear heart, squeezed her eyes, squeezed her lungs. She had no other word to use than drowning. Suffocate. Choking on water that didn't exist.

The room in which she'd ended up was bright and colorful. There were small bulbs of light all around the room. The carpet was colorful, there were machines with touch screens everywhere and tables that were green, each of them having a different game associated with them. Wicke never in her life thought that going to the Cornucopia would have been a gamble for her. She and Acacia were on top of everything. They were both so well-trained and strong. They were both so fiery and determined. They were both the obvious choice for Victor.

Sure, Chance and Nerio were well-loved, but Wicke knew Chance. There was no way he wasn't planning something in that mind of his. And Nerio had already screwed things over and breached Chance's trust when he went off with Joule. And, though Wicke didn't know everything about Chance, she knew enough to be sure that Chance only fought for the ones he really, truly trusted. And Nerio may have put himself into more trouble than he'd ever expect by breaking that.

Wicke and Acacia were more than just a couple, though. They were a _team_. They were together and they were going to watch out for each other. They were a team through and through. They were going to fight together. And just like that her own District partner had taken out her teammate.

Even though the girl from One was sad, she couldn't let that show. She couldn't have a full fucking breakdown here because that would be far too pathetic and then nobody would _ever_ sponsor her. She had to keep up her strong persona. The second it crashed, Wicke wasn't sure she could put it back together.

So, she did what Wicke Valentine does better than anyone: took all her sadness and converted it to fiery bitterness.

Wicke was pretty used to being bitter, though. She was constantly being cheated of things because she was younger, or not as smart as her brother. She was constantly overlooked in Training because she wasn't apart of the clique. Ugh, that stupid goddamn clique. Just thinking about it made Wicke's skin crawl. Obviously it hadn't ruined her chance to volunteer, but it had still been nothing but frustrating.

Rhode _always_ got helped first, and she always got better help too. She had always gotten nothing but praise from the trainers, who were just enamored by her. She got nothing but encouragement from the other trainees, who were apart of her clique. Everyone saw her as the obvious choice to volunteer, the _only_ choice, even. Even though Wicke constantly gave her a run for her money, nobody thought Wicke would actually get there. And God, was that annoying or what? All the good things Wicke had ever done were totally glazed over because Rhode did them nearly as well. All of Wicke's achievements weren't given a second thought because Rhode was the star, or Elton. Fucking Elton.

Wicke was used to getting the short end of the stick. She was used to it, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. Dammit, that didn't make it any less _unfair_. She just always had rotten luck. Maybe if she'd known a way to get into the clique, she'd have tried. But those kinds of doors only open for the pictures of beauty and grace and the extroverts that like to be surrounded by big groups all the time. And Wicke hated big groups because she always just faded away to the background when she was with a bunch of other people. She hated it, but that was just the fact of life. It was just her personality. No matter what, she would never be able to change that about herself. Which was _so_ frustrating.

Of course the only person to make Wicke feel important and valued would be the first to go. Wicke had some friends back home, sure, and they were nice, but they also taught Wicke that yes, it really was possible to be a _fourth wheel_. Wicke didn't even know that was possible. Sure, they were excited for her, and they cheered for her over Rhode, but they valued each other more than they valued Wicke.

For the first time, Wicke had found someone that valued her more than _anyone_. Of course that one would be the first to die. The only one that saw Wicke for who she was instead of as a lowly shadow in the background. And as quickly as she'd bounced into Wicke's life, she was taken away. Of course that would happen. Chance _knew_ what he was doing. He _knew_ who he was targeting.

Wicke felt like a fucking idiot. How had she not seen him snake-eye like that!? He'd never done anything like it in training back in District One. Wicke felt like such an idiot. He'd played her like a fucking fiddle. She should have known better. She should have kept her guard up, she should have warned Acacia that he was a dirty little motherfucking snake. And she didn't, and now she was paying the price.

The only person that cared. Gone. Whisked away. The more Wicke thought about it, the brighter her fire raged. It was just her luck. It was just her luck that this would happen.

She knew she was being selfish. What a horrible way to think about it, right? She should have been thinking about how lost she was going to be without Acacia, how the light of her joy was blown out like the flame of a candle that sat on Wicke's windowsill back home. She should have been angry at herself for not dying in Acacia's place, right? She should have been shouting at the sky, trying to negotiate with whatever power rules higher than even the Capitol to give her Acacia back. She should have been crying uncontrollably, barely able to get a hold of herself. She should have been thinking about Acacia for who she was, right?

But here she was, missing the way Acacia made her feel about _herself_.

It wasn't that Wicke didn't want to do all those things. It wasn't that there wasn't a burning lump in her throat that she had to swallow down every time she thought about the sight, the look in Chance's eyes, the shock on her dear Acacia's face. It wasn't that Wicke wasn't sad, it wasn't that Wicke wasn't missing Acacia's sunshine. It wasn't like she wasn't mad at herself, she wasn't tempted to bargain even though she knew it was hopeless. Wicke felt absolutely lost and miserable without Acacia. She missed Acacia's smile and the feeling of her being near. Wicke didn't like to be touched, but even just being in Acacia's presence brought this warm, comforting feeling Wicke had never felt before. Wicke was mad, and vengeful, of course she was.

But this was the Hunger Games. And Wicke knew that the last thing she needed was to light herself on fire and burn away at herself until she exploded. She knew that she couldn't afford to self-destruct. And if she fell into that horrible, hopeless place, there was a high likelihood that she would.

Wicke thought she understood what Blessing meant when she said, _"You have to be selfish to win the Games."_ But she never imagined it would be like this. She never imagined it would be to this extent. She never imagined it would be this hard.

She'd learned in training that self-preservation was a must to win. " _You gotta have a lot of guts to get the glory,"_ they would say. _"You have to keep your eyes on the prize."_ They weren't wrong.

If Acacia dying meant one thing, it meant that there was no longer a single person standing in between Wicke and that victory. She had watched enough Games to know that losing allies could go one of two ways: either that tribute shuts down, or wins in their ally's honor. It had led to some pretty unexpected Victors.

So yes, Wicke was lost. She was helpless, and miserable. She was drowning slowly, inhaling water that set her lungs on fire. She was beside herself with grief. But she was also a fire. She was going to burn, burn, burn and bring everyone down with her. She was determined, she was ready to fight, she was ready to _win_. She would save the tears for when she was alone, in her room, at her very own house in the Victor's Village. Save them for a time when she wasn't in front of the entire nation. But now, she had to keep her eyes on the prize. And if that meant she had to be a selfish jerk, well, that was something she was willing to do.

She wasn't ready to die yet.

She was ready to win.

Wicke was startled out of her thoughts that day when she heard voices. Voices that she recognized well.

Her heart was pounding, practically beating out of her chest, as she slid under a table of one of the computer games in the back of the room, sliding a chair in front of her.

There was no way she could possibly take on all four of them at once, and she knew that.

"You're absolutely positive there's nobody in the banquet hall?" rang out Luna's voice, just as cold as Wicke remembered it.

"I'm sure," came a voice that Wicke had to double-take at. _Who the hell…? More like… How the hell?_

"You'd better start making yourself useful," Luna said.

"Oh, I have plenty of other tricks." It was definitely Bec. Wicke could use context clues to gather what he was doing with them, but she was perplexed. _Is this some sort of strategy of his? Did he sacrifice Dyna to get a ride with the Careers?_ That thought sent shivers down her spine, but she knew she had to stay perfectly still. She couldn't even afford to breathe at this point. If anyone saw her, it would be certain death.

"There's no one in here," Ester said.

"Yeah, hiding in here would be quite a _gamble_ ," Bec added. Wicke rolled her eyes. Then she thought that Acacia probably would have said the same stupid thing, or something similar. She felt like she was being squeezed there, heart pounding, not moving a muscle. There was a tense silence before Bec grumbled, "Just trying to lighten the mood."

"Let's scat," Attila said. "Ester's right. As usual."

A giggle came from the District Eight girl as she sweetly said, "Awww."

Dania came into view just then. She was looking around the room, axe at the ready. Wicke's mind started racing. She had about a million different battle plans, and none of them looked good for her.

"Come on Dania," Attila said.

"Wait…"

Wicke tensed, but stayed still. She could practically _feel_ the girl from Two's eyes on her.

"Never mind," she said finally, turning back. "Let's go."

Luna growled, but nodded. Wicke sat and listened as the footsteps of the Careers left the room. She sat and counted to five hundred before cautiously leaving her hiding spot.

They were really gone, thank goodness.

Wicke took a deep breath.

 _That was so close_ , she thought. Her thoughts wandered to the surprising addition to the alliance. How did Bec get in there? It was obvious they were using him for information… Information about the tributes? How much did he know? Did he know Wicke was there? Was he going to come get her?

Wicke took a deep breath. _Calm down,_ she told herself. _Don't be paranoid._ In a place where people were hunting her down to kill her, that was much easier said than done.

 _I'm safe,_ she thought. She had the strongest feeling that Dania saw her. That the girl from Two knew where she was, and was going to hunt her down, hunt her down and kill her… _Get it together Wicke,_ she said, shaking her head. _You're safe._

And she was.

 _For now._

~.~.

-Persei Holloway, 15, District 7-

Persei was alone.

She wasn't expecting to be alone… Not this early… No, no, no, this wasn't a part of her plan. It wasn't… She wasn't supposed to be… She… She was supposed to have…

Desiree…

Persei and Desiree were strictly allies. Right? They didn't communicate face-to-face a lot, only through hand signals and making faces at training, and… Persei's mind was still racing with thoughts, memories. She never in a million years thought that she would make a friend in the Games like this. Not to mention…

Persei slammed a fist on the ground before quickly retaliating, worried she'd made a sound. The girl from District Seven was a fighter, but she knew that she couldn't take any chances. Not now, when there were still so many Careers and trained tributes, older tributes, teams of tributes, all of them ready to take her out.

She was… Alone.

Alright, Persei actually _wanted_ to be alone at the beginning. After all, who would be worthy of allying with _her_ , right? She was the queen bitch and she knew it. She knew how to get what she wanted and she always got it. That was just how she operated. She worked best alone. After all, none of these people had any hope of getting out alive with Persei there. She was always on top, after all. She was always the one that people watched out for.

How had she gotten here?

How had she gone from that confident person to… To this? How had that happened!? How had the girl who had it all figured out turn into the girl that tripped on her own damn feet walking upon the stage?! How had the girl who was feared turn to the girl that was afraid?! How had the girl who put herself on a pedestal turned into a girl that wished she wasn't alone?!

Persei wished she knew.

Being reaped had flipped her world upside down. Suddenly, she was on the bottom of the totem pole, and she had to work her way up. Well, she was never on the bottom, there were plenty of little fifteen-year-old bitches that were lower than her.

Persei clenched her fist at that thought, because the first face that came into her mind when she thought about fifteen-year-old bitches was her bitch District partner. How dare he do that to her! How dare he look her in the eyes and take that weapon! How dare he… How…

Persei's fist unclenched. There was nothing she could do about that now. He had become impervious to her. So had everyone else. Persei wasn't special anymore. No, now she was just alone.

She thought she felt more like herself somewhere in there. After meeting Syca and him falling on his face for her. He was at her feet, begging her to notice him, and denying him the privilege made her feel comfortable, secure. She wished now that she'd played a little smarter.

If that wasn't enough, there was still… there was…

Persei's thoughts were interrupted at the sight of a sponsor parachute floating down from the ceiling. The girl from District Seven quickly hurried to pick it up, hoping desperately for a weapon, some form of self-defense other than this empty metal canteen she had… What she found was even more satisfying.

The second she opened the parachute, the delicious, warm smell of soup filled her nose, and when she looked in that smell combined with the smell of a delectable-looking cheeseburger. Persei hungrily pulled the items out of the parachute, mouth watering. For just a few minutes, her worries faded away as she stuffed the delicious burger into her mouth. She paced herself, but knew that the burger wouldn't last forever considering she had no way to heat or refrigerate it. Luckily, the potato and ham soup had been provided in a heated thermos, so she would be able to have that later.

Persei closed her eyes as she chewed, but soon found that she was more parched than anything. She knew that she needed to find some water. That was one of the most important pieces of advice she'd gotten from Helen, in between the Anakyn babbling she did all the time. If she wasn't talking _about_ Anakyn, she was talking about something Anakyn _made_ or _did_ , and if she wasn't doing that, she was talking _to_ Anakyn, or, rather, flirting _with_ Anakyn. It annoyed the hell out of Persei, but she didn't say anything.

Persei was usually annoyed at antics like that, but she was particularly annoyed at this. Sure, she rolled her eyes when her cousin Avis talked about some cute boy she met, or her friend Caia commented on some guy they saw walking to or from school. But something about watching those two made Persei angry. Really angry, and bitter, so much that her stomach felt uncomfortable, like it could be sick.

Persei wouldn't admit, but she was jealous.

The way that Anakyn and Helen always poked each other, or pranked together, or did stupid shit and made stupid jokes, and then laughed and gave each other that… that look, that look like, _"You're the one I want to be with,"_ that look that said a million words while saying nothing out loud… Persei had never seen that before. And she wouldn't anytime soon. The one person that she thought… The one person that she gave that look to… He never looked back. He would _never look back_. Persei saw that look, though, she saw him give that look… To someone else.

 _This is all my own damn fault_ , she told herself. _I pushed him away. I push everyone away!_

Persei tried to focus on the taste of the hamburger, eating slowly, savoring how the warmth felt in her mouth.

 _I was just… Too afraid._ Persei tensed. She wasn't. She wasn't afraid of anything. She was fearless, she was tough. She was respected.

 _I love him._

Persei struggled to swallow her bite of hamburger, and she didn't take another. She wasn't hungry anymore.

 _And he will never love me._

Persei's eyes filled with tears. The lump kept pushing up at her throat. Her heart just plain old hurt. She had no idea how it came to this. How she ended up with all these… With all these feelings. All these feelings that she didn't know how to handle. And while she was just scared and lost like a little baby he was swept away by someone else. Someone else that was probably much gentler and sweeter than Persei, who was rough and tough and didn't know how to handle a delicate heart like his.

It was damned before it even began. It was always going to end like this. Persei was never going to be loved by him. She had been in denial for so long, but now… Now somehow she knew. Now, when she was thinking about him and hoping he would be alright. Now, when she was doubting if she should even leave the Arena alive when someone like him was there, someone who had never hurt a fly in his life, someone with a heart that was free like hers, and curious, but also kind, and soft, and compassionate. Those were things that Persei just simply never was. She wasn't like him. Why should someone like him die in her place?

Persei turned the little, crude, carved wooden bird that she'd brought from back home as her token. Maybe this was supposed to remind her of why she had to fight to get home. The people that were waiting for her. Family. Friends. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was a lost cause. Was she hurting more people than she helped? Why should _she_ be the one to survive? Why is she more important than anyone else here?

A tear rolled down Persei's cheek. She didn't even notice it form in her eye until it had already escaped. She quickly reached up and wiped it away angrily. No, no, she was Persei Holloway! She didn't just… cry! She didn't rank herself below others! She was confident, she… She always fought for what she wanted!

But she wanted Oleander to live. More than she wanted herself.

 _How did this happen?!_ was the only thought that she could get a grasp on. She was once on top of the world and now she was struggling to hold on! How did this happen!? Those feelings just creeped up on her… She certainly would have stopped them if she'd known they were coming. If she had any idea she would have stopped them before they came, but it was too late. What had started out so small had become gigantic _so_ quickly.

Persei wrapped the hamburger up in the foil it had arrived in. She didn't want any more at that moment.

 _Get it together Persei,_ she told herself, clenching her fists and tensing her arms, her shoulders, her abs, whatever she could tense to keep any more of those stupid goddamn tears from coming out. She had to snap out of this. Even Syca was able to realize that his life was more important than that other person's. Isn't that why he took the axe out of her hands?

Persei sniffled as quietly as she could, trying to play it off as some kind of allergies or a cold rather than being caused by tears. She wiped her eyes and nose on her sleeve and felt like absolute garbage. She was thirsty as fuck, and here she was wasting water with tears. Persei had changed and she hadn't even realized it until now, now when she's in the middle of a fight to the death.

 _I can't do this,_ she thought, over and over and over again she thought it. _I can't do this I can't do this I can't do this._

She steeled herself and took a deep breath. _Desiree didn't die for me to do this,_ she thought. When she thought of her ally, the images of Desiree collapsing came crashing back, causing Persei to shake her head, desperately trying to shake the thoughts away. She had let Desiree down. Desiree didn't die for Persei to throw away her chance… Persei had failed her, but she would make it up to her. She would make it up to her by winning and getting back home and feeding Aimee and taking care of her and Desiree's brother… What was his name again…? Johann.

Persei put the burger and the thermos of soup in the small backpack she'd snagged from the Cornucopia. She knew that she had to keep on going. She still had some cards to play, after all, and throwing away her chance wasn't going to do good for anybody.

She got up and walked, as silently as she could, to the small door on the other end of the room. She tugged at it before realizing despairingly that it was locked.

"Damn," she breathed. She wished she had something with which she could try to pick it, but until then brute force would have to do. She was just so desperate for water, and she knew that there would be a bathroom behind that door.

Persei used the metal thermos and banged on the lock. The first swing looked to have made an impact, so she tried again. She banged more, each bang giving her a better result and encouraging her further. She banged until the lock gave and the door swung open towards her, revealing just what she'd hoped. Persei hurried to the sink and apprehensively turned it on. When she did, a crystal clear stream of water poured out of the spicket. Quickly, Persei filled the thermos and drinking as much as she possibly could. The feeling of the cool water rushing down her throat was unspeakably pleasant.

She drank her fill, then put the thermos down to splash her face. The rush of the cold water replaced with a shocking jolt as Persei was sent flying forwards over the counter, a sharp pain exploding through her back. She crumpled, barely able to register the owner of the voice that said, "Nice shot Chance!" before her vision faded to black and she exhaled for the last time.

~.~.

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs was on fire.

Now that he was safe, he realized what he'd done. He was a fucking idiot, and now he knew it.

Every time he looked down he was close to throwing up. It was just such a horrible sight. His stomach was pouring out blood still. The bandages he had were all soaked, and so was the extra T-shirt he'd wrapped around the wound. Every single movement burned.

Riggs never thought he could survive this much pain. Then again, he'd never expected to _be_ in this much pain. Sure, he did risky shit all the goddamn time, but… He never expected to get hurt.

This time he'd expected to get hurt.

Riggs didn't know what drove him to do it. He didn't know what drove him to run to the Cornucopia without a second thought. He had the luck of running into Ester, who hesitated. But Riggs waited. He didn't leave, even when he could have. Now, he was kicking himself for it. Now, he knew better. Now, when even sitting up was a chore. Now, when all he could do was lay on the hardwood floor of the small boutique he'd ended up in and bleed everywhere and wish for some end to this pain.

He couldn't die. Riggs didn't _want_ to die, dammit! No, no, he had to get out alive, he had to…

Riggs did know what drove him to do it. He knew damn well why he would do something like this. He knew damn well why he did it. And it was a stupid reason. It was the dumbest reason.

He stared at the ceiling, trying just for once to sit still. Just for two goddamn minutes, that was all he wanted. But he just couldn't control himself. He would get uncomfortable and shift positions, and the pain would shoot up his side like a knife was being driven into the wound all over again.

Riggs let out a pained noise as he tried to shift and collapsed back on the ground, biting his cheek hard to keep from yelling. It was absolute torture. He had seen tributes injured on television before, but he never imagined it would be this hard to function.

All he could do was stare at the ceiling and think. And Riggs hated when he had to stay still and think. Nothing good ever came from it.

 _This is all your fault, you know?_ He thought, clenching his fists so tightly his stubby nails dug into the soft flesh of his palms. _This is all because you're a fucking impulsive idiot._ Riggs clenched his teeth and tried to shift, just slightly. He sat up a little bit. It was far from comfortable, but the pain was just too great to keep going and sit up all the way.

He tried to distract himself. He took a small bit of peanut butter from the jar that was in his backpack and sucked on his fingers. Even when they were clean, he tried to pretend there was more. His stomach growled, greedily pleading him to take some more. Riggs was tempted, but knew that he shouldn't eat it all, so he screwed the lid on, but kept the fingers in his mouth. It was dumb, but it was a distraction from literally everything else, from the world that was tumbling down around him.

 _You're going to die here. Might as well die on a full stomach, right?_ Riggs shifted, biting on his fingers as he used a shelf to pull himself up into a sitting position. He hated that he was so out of breath just from sitting up. He hadn't even tried to stand since collapsing here. He was too afraid that he would make it worse.

 _You did this to yourself,_ that voice in his head said. _You did this to yourself because you're a fucking impulsive dumbass that can't do anything right!_ Riggs felt too weak to even fight it anymore. He knew it was true, anyways. He knew that this was all his fault, goddammit, just like _everything_ was his fault. He was always the one that fucked everything up. This was no different than always, really.

 _You knew you should have stayed away from the bloodbath. You knew and dammit, you still didn't, because you're a fucking idiot! You're going to suffer here but you deserve to, because it's all your fucking fault!_ Riggs took his fingers out of his mouth to try and adjust, but he just didn't have the energy. He tapped his fingers on the floor, trying to divert his mind away from these thoughts. He knew they were going to tear him apart.

 _You didn't even get what you wanted, you know?_ Riggs squeezed his eyes shut. He hated how his mind taunted him. Always, always taunting him. It would never stop. _Gian didn't even notice you, because you're a fucking idiot. You have zero chance with him. He's way too good for you._ Riggs clenched and unclenched his fists, gasping in air as he could feel warm blood soaking the bandages again. _That's right, he's already given up on you. I bet he feels like a fucking idiot for putting any faith in you at all. That's why he didn't take the goddamn roses, you know? Because he knew you were going to die. He always knew you were never worth trying for you goddamn failure!_

Riggs could feel tears sting his eyes.

 _You fucking baby. Grow the hell up. He knew he could never love a dumbass like you and you always knew that. He's a Victor, he's a fucking genius studying and working hard! You wouldn't know what that's like, would you? You wouldn't know what it's like to work hard because you never did, you fucking slacker. He's everything, goddammit, he's fucking EVERYTHING, and you are nothing. You were always damned to be a druggie, from the time you stopped studying. You were always damned. Why would a Victor like Gian, a man that worked hard to be honest and clean, care anything about a rat like you? You're not Cullen or Maxen, you know? You're not going to go Uni, or be successful. You_ couldn't, _because you're nothing! You were always going to wither away. Now it's just causing everyone around you a lot less grief._

Riggs felt like he was in a nightmare and couldn't wake up. He felt like he was in a haze. Every breath made his head spin more and more. A cannon boomed and it pounded in Riggs's head long after it had silenced. _Maybe it would all be better if I just died,_ he thought. _Why would you ever think someone like Gian would settle for someone like you!? Why did you ever have the audacity to think such a thing?!_

Riggs shifted, and the knife shot through his wound, and he didn't even care, he just needed to be doing something, anything else, to escape this nightmare.

He grabbed one of the shelves, trying to make himself get up. He focused on breathing as he made it up to his feet and pulled himself up using the shelf. Instinctively, he grabbed his stomach as soon as he was on his feet, as it burned like fire and Riggs's stomach turned like he was going to throw up.

His attention was soon caught but something that was sparkling on the shelf. When he approached the shelf, he saw a little yellow ceramic duck looking up at him. Riggs reached out to pick it up, before realizing that when he touched it, his hands were slick with crimson, which was smeared on the decoration. He heaved, sure he was actually going to throw up the peanut butter as he put the duck down. Luckily, he was able to keep it down, trying to focus on walking, hopefully moving to somewhere that wasn't so close to the Cornucopia.

Before long, he noticed something else sparkling, and instinctively went towards it, trying to ignore the pain that shot up his side every time he took a step. Before him, on the table, was a beautifully-made glass red rose. It was perfectly smooth, every part skillfully crafted just to torture him. Just to remind him of what would never be. Just to remind him of his stupid heart, that again and again got him into trouble. That caused pain to so many people. The stupid roses, the reminder of the man who will never love someone absolutely fucking useless like Riggs. The reminder of his injury, the injury he got _intentionally_ , out of the selfish, childish hope that maybe, just maybe, Gian would pay more attention to him there, that maybe Gian would worry and get sponsors for him, that Gian would realize that yes, of course he loved Riggs, of course he couldn't stand to see Riggs in pain. But no. It was much more serious than Riggs thought it would be. Riggs may have just surrendered his chance at getting back because he was a fucking idiot. How could Gian love someone that was so selfish and immature all the goddamn time!?

Riggs shook with rage. Rage at himself. He grabbed the glass rose off the shelf and threw it down on the ground as hard as he could, not even caring how loud the crash was. He wanted that rose to be in fucking pieces on the ground, he wanted to be rid of these memories, of these horrible thoughts, of his own selfish wishes. Riggs stared at the pieces on the ground, feeling satisfied, happy even, happy that he destroyed the fucking rose, happy that he smashed it to bits.

Riggs sobbed.

Tears rolled down his face before he could even stop them. The more he looked at the shattered remained, the more tears came to his eyes. He couldn't stop them, even if he tried. Somehow, he knew that, and he didn't even try to stop them.

He stared at the broken pieces through his misty eyes, the thing that was so delicate that he'd taken and shattered, in another moment of impulsivity like he always had.

Something wasn't right. He knew that something wasn't right.

His voice was quivering.

"I'm so sorry Gian." More tears poured down his face, and he let them roll down his cheeks and splash on the floor. "I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault."

He took a deep, shaking breath, trying not to cringe at the pain it brought. That didn't matter in that moment. All that mattered was that Gian knew…

"You were the best thing that ever happened to me Gian. I swear it…" He sniffled. "I'm sorry I was the worst thing that ever happened to you. I don't blame you for giving up on me Gian." A part of him, that small, selfish, terrible part, hoped that maybe Gian would send something. Something to show he wasn't giving up.

Nothing came.

Riggs took a breath. For the first time since getting here, he felt at peace with that.

He loved Gian Mariani. He really, really fucking loved Gian. He loved everything about Gian. He loved Gian's messy, crazy, curly hair. His brown eyes, that so often, too often, looked plain old exhausted. He loved Gian's smooth skin and the brief taste he'd gotten of Gian's kiss. He loved Gian's sense of humor, and how he laughed at jokes he made because he amused himself. He loved Gian's snarky comments, no matter who they were directed at. He loved Gian's heart, everything that was in it, and everything he was. And that wasn't going to change overnight.

But if it wasn't going to work, it wasn't going to. That thought hurt Riggs more than the pain of the wound. But he would try his best to heal, if that was what Gian wanted. Heaven knew that Gian deserved far better than Riggs anyways. It wouldn't be fair of Riggs to make him settle when he deserved so much better. He deserved the world. He was everything.

When Riggs looked behind his shoulder, another tribute was behind him, knife raised. The boy from Six jumped in surprise, the pain in his side causing him to snap awake, ready to fight for his life.

"Riggs, wait!" Riggs locked eyes with the boy from Five. "Please. Don't."

"J-"

"Truce. If you want, I guess. I think it'd be in both of our best interests to have someone else watching each other's backs."

Riggs relaxed. "Why are you here?"

"I was in the art gallery that's connected here. I heard a clatter and when I saw it was you, I approached."

"How long?"

"We can figure that out when the time comes. What do you say?"

"Yes. Alright." Riggs took a deep breath, trying to keep his head and vision from spinning around in circles.

"That's quite a doozy there…" Joule said, biting his lip. "Do you need water?"

"I have a small thermos," Riggs said weakly, before quickly wiping his cheeks. He was sure that Joule saw him cry, which he was kicking himself for. _Who would want to be allies with the grown-ass man who couldn't stop crying?_ He was thankful Joule didn't ask what the commotion was all about. Riggs wasn't sure he had the heart to explain it to him. He'd only been up for half an hour at most and he was already so exhausted.

"I heard the Careers go by. I think they're heading this way."

Riggs could feel his heart beating. "No."

Joule was frowning, his eyebrows creased in concern and fear. "I wish I was kidding. We need to get moving fast if we don't want them to catch us."

"Right," Riggs said.

"We'll get to safer ground, then I'll try to help you with that injury." Joule pulled his ponytail tighter nervously. "I'm sorry I don't have anything that could be helpful."

"It's fine," Riggs said quietly. "Let's just get going."

"Should I grab your backpack?"

"Please."

Joule picked up both backpacks. "I'll stick by you, alright? We're going to get out of this mess."

Riggs felt a small smile spread across his face, the first real smile he's felt in days.

"Sounds good. Thanks."

"Alright, I'll look out first, then we'll move."

Riggs gave a weak nod. He wasn't out yet.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Phew, another chapter finished. Hope you all enjoyed it even though there still wasn't a lot of action! There are a lot of tributes that are in a lot of different places so I'm going to try to balance the POVs the best that I can.**_

 _ **Sidenote, I thought that bloodbaths would be the hardest part of the Games, but I was proven wrong. Choosing the early deaths is really rough for me because all these tributes deserve to be in the final 8 at least but not all of them can get there.**_

 _ **Thank you to everyone who's sponsoring, it's still open and going strong! Hopefully from here the action's going to pick up… I still haven't planned… much of anything. Lol, playing it by ear for sure. I'm going to put up a poll for who you all think the final 8 should be so make sure you go vote! It may or may not affect who I choose, we'll see. Either way, I'm curious to see who you all want to make it that far!**_

 _ **18**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Persei Holloway, District 7, Killed by Chancellor Magnusun, D1**_

 _ **This was a tremendously tough decision, but ultimately I couldn't fit Persei into a bigger scheme of plans and thought that this would be an appropriate time for her to go. She was an absolute joy to write from beginning to end, and I sincerely hope that you like how she was portrayed and the way her character changed, because I kind of ran away with that, even towards the end. Persei was a firecracker but she just couldn't get herself together, which was her downfall. The least I could do was have her go quickly and cleanly. She was totally fun to write and one of few antagonist-type characters, and for that I'm very grateful because I do love my villains/villain types. Persei was a great facilitator for change and development and she's definitely going to live on, whether she knows it or not. Now she'll be peaceful in heaven. Thank you so much for her, Cat, and I really hope you stick around to see how she lives on and send another character my way for the sequel to this story!**_

 _ **Okay, next order of business!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: If you have a character/characters in the story, what would they dress up as for Halloween, and how would they spend the night (Trick-or-treating, handing out candy, partying, etc.)? :) And if you don't have any in this story, pick a random one to answer the questions with!**_

 _ **Also, this speed of about an update for month is pretty comfortable for me right now, so it might be like this for a while. Hopefully I'll get some stuff out fast during Christmas and Thanksgiving, but we'll see. Thanks for your patience!**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 54**_

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 _ **AKLNxStories: 135**_

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 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

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 _ **bLizzieard: 90**_

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 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

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 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

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 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 690**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 494**_

 _ **epictomguy: 24**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

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 _ **GalacticCoach: 58**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 279**_

 _ **goldie031: 259**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 334**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

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 _ **Kate: 843**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 115**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **MissVolturiKingsfan: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10- assuming that the guest review after is yours**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 24**_

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 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

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 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **Alright, that's all I have to say. Don't forget to vote on the poll, and I'll see you ASAP for another chapter! :) Hope the semester's treating you all well!**_


	35. Day 3: Nightmares and Hope

_The third day_

-Chance Magnusun, 17, District 1-

Chance and Nerio were in a good place, and they both knew it. So far, their time in the Arena had been pretty damn fun.

Chance had taken out the front-runner first. It was great that she died on the first day, but the fact that she got twenty-fourth place was the cherry on top of the cake. Not to mention the fact that Chance had made the first kill of the Games.

He knew exactly what he was going to do. Everyone was so sure he was going to target Joule first, but Chance knew that wouldn't have gotten him very far. Wicke and Acacia were far too dangerous together, and Chance didn't want to be the guy that killed his District partner in twenty-fourth place. Besides, Wicke's negative attitude was totally going to be the death of her. She was going to get no sponsors because she was so unfriendly, un-personable, and bitter. Acacia was Wicke's only real hope of winning, and now that she was gone Wicke would just burn out. Just like her namesake, how fun was that?

While everyone thought Chance would go for Joule, Chance took advantage of it. That had been his plan all along. Why the hell would he take out a weakling that was ultimately going to self-destruct anyways? Besides, the Bloodbath was the most merciful way to die, in Chance's opinion. Everything was happening so fast, there was no time for pain or torture. And if there was one thing Joule definitely deserved, it was that.

Going down the stairs, Chance and Nerio had found this perfect master bedroom. It was beautiful, and definitely romantic. They made out the entire first night. It hadn't gone further, yet, but it was a good way to let off some steam. The bed was super comfortable too.

The second day, they'd struck gold. Chance had received a pair of night vision goggles, which would help them see in the dark. Nerio had received a slightly stranger sponsor gift…

Chance still hadn't gotten used to looking over and seeing the usually refined boy from Four wearing a giant, silly sombrero. The note had them both chuckling:

 _Please enjoy this beautiful token of my love. Don't take it off- not even when you and Chance are in the passions of love._

Chance and Nerio had both laughed for twenty straight moments about that. Chance thought he'd composed himself, until Nerio tried to kiss him in the sombrero. Chance immediately started laughing again, especially because Nerio totally missed with the kiss, placing it on the corner of Chance's upper lip. Chance didn't let that go for the rest of the day.

Nerio kept the sombrero on even when they went to investigate a banging noise. That was when they found Persei in the bathroom, and claimed their second victim. Chance was proud to be half of the sexiest, deadliest couples in the Arena. It was definitely the best place to possibly be in.

Although, seeing Nerio in the sombrero wasn't exactly a turn-on. It was funny, but that was about all. Nerio was a pretty little bottom, but the sombrero would probably ruin the mood. When Chance asked why he insisted on wearing it, Nerio claimed that it was because he wanted to solicit more money from sponsors. But Chance suspected that he enjoyed wearing it, for whatever stupid reason.

The second night, and checking each of the rooms, Chance and Nerio totally did it in the master bedroom. The allure of having sex in the Arena, and being the first couple to do so, was just too strong. Chance couldn't help it. He could say it was for sponsors all he wanted, but the truth was that he needed to be as close to Nerio as long as he possibly could. He had no idea how long this would last. After all, sometimes the one you're close to can be stolen from you in a blink. Well, if you're weak like Wicke, that was.

Anyways, yeah, totally fucked. Chance barely cared if it was broadcast across the nation. It added a thrill to the whole thing. He loved knowing that this would be what the crowds were talking about. Plus, it would be fun to think that perfect little Radiance would have to hear talk about her brother smashing another dude. That was another cherry on the cake. Chance found that his cake was becoming sweeter and sweeter with each ticking moment.

It was always a sweet thing to wake up to Nerio sitting awake. Even if he was wearing that floppy-ass sombrero like a dork. Chance noticed that he was not wearing the District Four T-shirt, either. And he also wasn't wearing pants. Chance's eyes were still blurry with sleep, but he just had to look a little longer. It was just such a sight. Ridiculous? Yes. But hey, not everything can always be picture perfect, right? For Chance, it was perfect. The way the sun made a slight halo around Nerio's bronze bedhead. It made Chance's heart beat in a different way than he knew how to explain. It made him smile till his cheeks hurt. There was a reason everyone wanted a District Four boy, and now Chance knew why. He was beautiful. But mostly, he understood Chance. They got each other.

Chance knew he wasn't exactly fair to Nerio, but he just couldn't help how worked up he got. He wished he could, but he simply couldn't. He just felt so strongly.

Nerio turned around and Chance realized the thoughts his sleepy-ass brain had been thinking. God, those were… _Please_. Those are things that a sponsor would want him to think. He'd really adopted this whole pleasing-the-crowds mindset. But that's all it was. That was simply all it could be, after all.

"Good morning sunshine," Nerio said, stretching his arms. Chance tried not to look at the way his shirt rode up a little bit and showed his abs.

"Hey," Chance yawned, rubbing his eyes and propping himself up on one arm. The sombrero really was a bit much. Especially the way some of the tassels hung in his face. Chance could only count down the days until Nerio stopped wearing that monstrosity. Or at least until somehow the wind could conveniently throw it overboard.

"Sleep well?"

"You always tucker me out babe." Chance grinned at him, and Nerio exchanged it as Chance sat up.

"Perks of bottoming," Nerio quipped, causing Chance to laugh.

"The question is going to be: can you walk?"

"I think I can make do," Nerio said, with a flirty smile. It would have been easy for Chance to crawl over and kiss him if it weren't for that stupid fucking sombrero. Thank God he hadn't insisted on wearing it while Chance fucked him. If only he had that sentiment all the time.

"Ready to keep looking around?" Nerio asked, grinning.

"We are a killer team," Chance said, flashing Nerio a toothy grin. "Although I think your shirt might be a tad too small for me.

Nerio pouted, which was adorable, but eventually took off the sombrero to give Chance his shirt back and pull on his normal Arena clothes. As soon as they were dressed, Nerio plopped that stupid hat back on his head. Chance hoped he could get used to it.

A sponsor parachute floated down just then, causing the boys to exchange a grin.

"Wonder what it is now," Chance said smugly.

"Maybe it's a hat of your very own," Nerio said, smirking.

Chance rolled his eyes. "As _if_ ," he said, opening the container. But his nightmare had come true.

He pulled out a monstrosity even _worse_ than the one that was sitting on Nerio's head. Chance had no idea that was even _possible_. It was a white elastic that went all around his head, with an ugly, multicolored umbrella hanging over it. The only good thing about it was that on the underside of those terribly-colored sections was an assortment of pictures of Nerio that Chance had taken at the party.

Nerio looked nothing but smug as he victoriously plucked the paper out of the parachute pot.

"Now you can stop being jealous about Nerio having a cool hat," he read, the smug dripping from his voice.

"Yeah yeah," Chance sighed, trying to slip the terrible thing into his backpack.

"Wait! Aren't you going to put it on?" Nerio looked like he was about to give puppy eyes, so Chance just huffed.

"Alright, fine." He reached up to put the elastic around his forehead. It was truly the look of a defeated man.

Nerio, however, grinned with glee. Chance could barely be mad just because it was so cute.

"You look so dashing," Nerio said, grinning.

"I hate you sometimes," Chance said teasingly, which made Nerio laugh.

"Well, now that we're all style, we should make use of that lift we found in the dining area."

Nerio laughed. "We gotta show our beauty to the world."

Chance couldn't help but roll his eyes as he was smiling. Nerio took his hand and squeezed it, and together the killer couple went to explore more of the Arena.

~.~.

-Ashlyn Bayard, 17, District 12-

Ashlyn had been hesitant about leaving, but now she knew it was the right choice.

The girl from District Twelve had run, as fast as she could, away from the Bloodbath after seeing her ally struck dead. She couldn't make herself think, she just started running, not knowing or caring where her legs would take her.

Ashlyn Bayard had seen death. She had seen it in the form of her brother laying in her arms as she desperately willed for him to live. She had seen the life drain out of his eyes, the same muddy brown as her own, she had to watch his tanned skin go pale, his chest stop moving, the stains of red that just wouldn't stop leaking…

She had watched Aspen die, just as she'd watched Semper. She watched her ally be struck down and there was nothing she could do, nothing she could do except run, run, run, run, as fast as she could, until she couldn't run anymore. All she could do was stumble forward, the world nothing but a blur, heart pounding, trying desperately to stay alive.

What was the line between human and beast? Ashlyn wasn't so sure anymore. She thought the line had been very defined. But she was wrong. As she had been before, many, many times.

Now she was preparing for battle. She had no idea what she was going to do, where she was going to go, but Ashlyn wanted to live, in the end. She didn't care what it took, she just wanted to win.

She had ended up in a room with a lively blue and white carpet and lines of machinery. Ashlyn recognized them from the training center, treadmills, bikes, and weight machines. She saw the ocean out her window, and while the view would be considered by some to be pleasant, it just made Ashlyn sick. She couldn't believe that some stupid-ass Capitolites had sent her and other teens out in the middle of the sea and told them to kill each other. _How has this gone on for so damn long?_ Just the thought made Ashlyn angry. The thought of how all their emotions had been tampered with like this, for the entertainment of a bunch of sick fucks watching back home, for the entertainment of their oppressors.

Ashlyn wanted to live, though. That was the problem. She wasn't about to go and die a hero's death standing up for what she believed in. Some things were more important than beliefs. Some things were more important than morals. Some things were more important than sanity.

She had taken survey of her supplies, and knew that without some kind of food she was going to die before she even had the chance to fight for herself. And Ashlyn absolutely refused to go down without a fight. There was no way in hell _that_ was going to happen.

She knew that there were big groups of tributes out there. There was still a full group of Careers, all of which weren't afraid to take her life. There was still a few pairs of strong tributes left. And, of course, there was the matter of Kaelys's little group.

 _Kaelys_. Ashlyn had really tried not to think about her. That was one matter over which Ashlyn had no idea what to do. They had separated. Kaelys wanted Ashlyn to join her, and Ashlyn had refused. It wasn't because she didn't feel anything towards Kaelys. If anything, it was exactly the opposite. This was the girl that filled Ashlyn's heart with music. This was the girl that changed everything.

When Ashlyn came out to her family she still felt unsure. Even though she wasn't, it was just this feeling of a question. It was hard to explain. But when she had danced with Kaelys, everything just seemed to click into place. Even with the gaping hole in Ashlyn's heart left by her brother. By some miracle, there was another person in this world who understood true pain. There was a person that didn't write her off for being _unpleasant_ and _unfeminine_. There was a person in the world with a pulse, that breathed, that had her own thoughts and dreams and aspirations, that thought Ashlyn Bayard was _beautiful_. It was such a connection. And now it was bound to be broken by death, just like Aspen, just like Semper.

Ashlyn knew that she couldn't have stood to see Kaelys die and know that there was nothing she could have done to save her. Ashlyn knew that maybe she would have died for Kaelys, she wasn't sure, but just the thought of holding a dying Kaelys in her arms was enough to make Ashlyn crumple up.

Ashlyn wanted to get home. But she was no hero. She had nothing waiting there for her. She had a bratty sister and parents that barely tried to understand their own fucking daughter. Allegra was fucking insane, and Braelyn was so fucking timid and shy. District Twelve was a pile of shit and the Capitol was going to make her life hell. There was no reason Ashlyn wanted to get home. She had no faith in her ability to make the District a better place, or any of that shit. The only reason Ashlyn wanted to live was because she didn't want to die. And maybe that was selfish, but that was how she felt. She had no other reason for living other than not dying.

At least she admitted it, though. Ashlyn was sure there was nothing worse than the people that tried to play hero. Those fake-ass bitches that tried to pretend that they wanted to live for some saintly reason. Or worse, the people that were going to throw away their chance, like Jacques. Ashlyn knew that she couldn't have traveled with Kaelys's group, partially because he was in it. And those fake-ass bitches from Nine. Ashlyn knew she wouldn't have thrived with them. When it got down to it, Ashlyn just wanted to _live_.

That was why she decided to leave the fitness room. Not because she wanted to explore, or look for Kaelys, simply because she wanted to _live_. And to live was going to require a source of food. She had water and supplies, but not that. She also didn't have a good weapon, just this measly knife. Which would do in a situation of danger, but wasn't exactly comfortable.

Ashlyn was just getting ready to go when she saw a parachute floating down to her. She hurried over to pick up the parachute, feeling some hope in her. She could be marketable without Kaelys by her side. She didn't have to give her heart away to get supplies.

Ashlyn's hands shook slightly as she opened the parachute. She was used to being starving, but going two full days without eating took a toll on her. What sleep she was actually able to get was light and her head and limbs ached. She was exhausted and when she moved too quickly, her vision was covered with white. When she would walk around, searching the room, her legs would shake. Water was more important than food, though, which was why she was glad she had a thermos in her backpack.

When Ashlyn opened the parachute, she smiled when she saw a weapon there. It was the weapon she was the best with at training, nonetheless! She pulled out the small axe and couldn't help but feel relieved. In a battle, she would have some kind of defense. She still had some time to find food. But a battle could happen at any time, and now she was really ready for it. Holding the weapon in her hands made Ashlyn feel more confident, as she put her backpack around her shoulders and prepared to start moving.

Ashlyn was careful as she pushed the door of the training center open and stepped out. The stairs had led up to this room, and she hadn't left once she got there. She had no idea who else was up here, but she felt prepared to find out. Ashlyn knew that she was a tenacious girl. Operating off of pure spite had already gotten her through so much, who was to say it couldn't get her through this too?

She stepped out into the well-lit hallway and took a look around. She was on a smooth wooden deck that was still dry. To her left was a circular pool, and ahead of her was a much larger rectangular pool. Ashlyn saw the bubbles from the smaller pool and couldn't help but wonder if this was the magical "hot tub" of which some of the tributes had been speaking. She didn't need to find out, though. She had to stay on topic. Next to those things was a small room. Ashlyn took a cautious look around before she pushed open the small wooden door to look inside.

Ashlyn held the small axe close to her chest, ready to lash out if possible. Luckily, the room she'd found had nobody inside. She took a second to breathe and slow her heartbeat before feeling around the wall for a light switch. It was a quaint little room, with some small tables and a counter. Behind the counter were a bunch of different supplies. There were some canoes, inflatables, and other waterside objects. But, more importantly, there was a blender. And a blender meant food.

Ashlyn went behind the counter, where she found a small refrigerated unit that contained a plethora of fruits. It was a beautiful sight. She slid open the door and quickly grabbed a container of blueberries, which she ate quickly. She knew that she should at least try to pace herself, but for just a second she couldn't help but splurge. She definitely didn't regret leaving that room with all those huge, intimidating machines. She had supplies, and she was doing alright.

She took some of the berries and put them in her backpack, leaving the others for her to get later. However, she had a feeling that hiding in here wasn't going to be good for her. After all, her sponsor had given her a weapon, and Ashlyn was determined to make more people sponsor her. She was ready to do whatever it took to win, after all.

Ashlyn opened the door and stepped out of the room. The second she did, her sights set on her next target, the perfect target, and without thinking twice, she charged.

~.~.

-Syca Gallen, 15, District 7-

Syca had wandered out of the spa into a different room that was even more beautiful. On one side of the room were various chairs that spun and were facing full-size mirrors. On the other side was a sleek wooden table with chairs on either side of it, stations with lamps and plenty of creams and such. Syca had no idea how he ended up in these rooms, but he didn't particularly mind.

He did manage to find a comb, which was a relief to him. His hair, even though it was pulled back in a stubby ponytail, was getting pretty nasty. He hoped that maybe combing his hair would make him more attractive to sponsors. Because yeah, he actually had those now. He wasn't about to risk washing his hair, that would be letting his guard down too much. But just getting out the tangles was enough to have him feel slightly less like a savage.

Though the room was comfortable, Syca couldn't help but feel a bit paranoid. After all, if a group of tributes were to enter, he would have absolutely nowhere to run. And this wasn't exactly a good room to be caught in. Sure, he could try to use some of the shampoos and creams as weapons, but he couldn't help but think that wouldn't be enough.

Syca wasn't sure how he was feeling. He still thought of Daria more often than not, which broke his heart. But at the same time, there was a small sense of hope in his heart. Hope that someday, he might be able to pick up some of the broken pieces. And all Syca needed was just a touch of hope to keep going. That would carry him through as long as he needed. As long as he had hope, there was nothing he couldn't do. He was confident in that.

Syca twisted the note he'd received the previous day around in his hands.

 _Hurry up and win the games so I can show you how a real girl should treat you, unlike Persei._

He still couldn't believe it, not even the hundredth time he'd read it. He just loved the thought that maybe if he got out of here, he'd have some shot at a relationship after all. He had no idea who sent the letter, but he couldn't help imagining it.

A noise startled him just then. He jumped and looked up, but luckily, it wasn't a threat. It was the exact opposite of a threat, in fact! It was another sponsor parachute! Two of them, in fact. Both had his name on them.

Syca wondered just then if it was because Anakyn and Helen had combined Syca's sponsor money with… Persei's.

Syca almost choked when he saw her face in the sky that night. He knew it was because he took that weapon from her. Maybe he hadn't stabbed her, but he had indirectly caused her death. Syca wondered if Helen and Anakyn hated him for that. He wondered if Panem hated him for that? So far Syca hadn't used the axe he was given at all, after all. He could hide away and go the whole Games without using it, probably. She had needed it, and she didn't have it. And, even though Persei was cold and conniving, even though she kicked Syca to the dust, she didn't deserve a fate like… That. The more Syca thought about it, the sicker it made him.

He just tried not to think about it. But the guilt was starting to add up.

Syca held the pillow in his hands and debated if he even deserved such a gift. _Stay safe kiddo,_ the note said. Syca couldn't help but feel slightly bitter at himself about it. Persei had friends and family too. She had goals and aspirations, dreams and hopes, that were taken away. She was his age, and she was dead. He liked her, more than just a friend, and she was dead. That was hard for Syca to swallow. Harder for him was the fact that he was officially the youngest tribute left. The youngest never won, did they? The youngest never came out on top.

Syca put the note in his pocket and opened the other, smaller parachute. This note said something that confused Syca. He had to read it twice to be sure what it really said.

 _#PastyGingerProbz_

He pulled the tube out of the container and looked at it, confused. When he flipped it over, he read the print on it. It was sunscreen.

Syca had to deal with the sun back home when he worked hard. He knew what it was like to deal with the red peeling skin that constantly burned hot. He knew how unpleasant it was. He had never tried sunscreen, and was a bit skeptical, but applied it anyways. Surely his sponsors were looking out for him, and not trying to hurt him.

Syca wasn't sure if he deserved anything bought with Persei's sponsor money, but he just had to keep reminding himself that now he had to get home for her, too. He could help her family if he got home, if they needed it. He could speak highly of her. Maybe she didn't deserve it, but… Death had a way of forcing the world to see people differently.

Once Syca put the sunscreen in his backpack and found a way to attach the pillow, he decided to do some more investigating. Staying in one dead-end room didn't exactly feel right to Syca. He just felt paranoid and unsafe. Hopefully moving would calm his nerves. The more he knew about his surroundings, the better he could use them to his advantage. That was what Anakyn would do, right?

Syca held his axe close, just in case, as he stepped out of the room. He knew some things about the area, considering he had run past the pool to the spa after the Bloodbath. However, he wasn't exactly paying attention to what was around him. Instead he was just focusing on not passing out from fear. He was focusing on how to cope with Daria's death.

He walked carefully on the deck. Falling into the pool would be really embarrassing. Not to mention it would _dampen_ his spirits. He laughed a bit to himself. However, the laughter didn't last long, as he saw a tribute running at him full force.

Syca's legs started to shake and he felt himself start to freeze up.

 _Now's the moment. Do or die._

Ashlyn's footsteps were loud and heavy as they approached. She was carrying a smaller, sleeker version of the weapon Syca was holding. By the time she reached him, holding the weapon over her head, he was ready. He held up his axe in defense, dodging as she tried to strike him. He shrugged the backpack over his shoulders as he came to the realization that there was nothing he could do to stop this fight from happening.

Ashlyn brought up her axe again, letting out a small battle cry as she tried to bring it down on Syca, who held his axe up in defense. It was a battle of strength before he pushed the axe away from him and jumped back. He tried to strike, but Ashlyn could see through his strategy and dodge. She swiftly lowered her axe, hitting him in the shoulder hard enough that he could hear the crack of bone. Syca let out a scream, using his strength to push the axe out of the wound. He knew he had to fight through the pain, he couldn't afford to lose it now.

Ashlyn was swift with her axe, and before Syca could stop her, she had buried her axe further into the shoulder wound, causing Syca to yell in pain as tears pooled in his eyes. Before Syca could process her next move, she buried the axe in his side, causing him to yell in agony as fire tore at his side and blood started to gush out of the wound. Syca could feel the adrenaline rushing through him with each beat of his heart. He was on fire, but kept fighting. He wasn't going down without a hard battle. He struck her shoulder, causing her to cry out and defend.

Ashlyn dodged the next strike from him and, in his moment of sluggishness, she swung the axe into the side of his neck, knocking him to the ground. Syca groaned, but before she could hit him again, he mustered the strength to strike her ankle, which crunched as it cracked under the heavy weapon. He was rewarded by a spray of blood in the face and the sound of Ashlyn's screams as she hit the ground hard.

Syca grit his teeth, still feeling his own blood rushing out. His head was pounding and he could barely see, but he knew that he was still at risk. As fast as he could, Syca brought his axe down on Ashlyn's back, who screamed at the top of her lungs and grabbed onto his ankles with slick hands. Syca moved his leg violently, forcing her to release her grip and sending her straight into the swimming pool, where she thrashed, splashing water everywhere, until her movements slowed, eventually stopping becoming totally still.

A cannon shot off, and the stench of blood became abundantly clear to Syca, who looked at the corpse, floating in a pool of crimson. His entire body was shaking as he could feel blood pouring out of his wounds. When he looked at his shoulder, he could see bone, which made him wretch. He took the extra T-shirt out of his backpack and quickly tied it around his side, trying to use it as a bandage. He took his shirt off and tied it around his shoulder, which pulsed with fire every time his heart beat. He had nothing for his neck, though, so he took the pillowcase off of his sponsor gift and used that.

He had to be resourceful, and he knew that.

Syca tried to make himself drink water, but his hands shook too much for that. He stumbled back to the spa, where he quickly collapsed on one of the chairs, which was so comfortable he immediately felt sleep pulling at him.

 _There's a reason I took that axe,_ he thought, as blackness overcame his vision. _It was always either me or her. And somehow… it was me._

~.~.

-Joule Barode, 18, District 5-

Joule's hands have never been this shaky before in his life. And there couldn't have been a worse time for them to shake.

Joule already barely knew a thing about stitching up wounds, and it didn't help that he was so damn nervous. He wanted to save Riggs, he really did. He wasn't sure exactly why. After all, wouldn't Riggs's imminent death bring him one step closer to returning home to Rilah and trying to make it right again? Joule couldn't help it, though. He was a sensitive person, and he felt compassion. In this horrible time, just the hope of being able to help someone was enough to keep Joule going. He wasn't sure why he was that way. Helping people just brought by a good feeling. He could do good, even though he was breaking.

Riggs was lying on the ground with a shirt in his mouth, trying not to scream as Joule did his best to string thread through his wounds. Joule spent some time working on it at training, but he hadn't really thought he would have to use it. He wished he would have taken time to perfect the art.

The complex first aid kid had arrived that morning, and as soon as it did Joule was determined to try his damndest to heal Riggs. The wounds were pretty bad, but luckily, Joule was able to disinfect them and get to work stitching them up. It was far from perfect, but Joule could only hope it was enough.

It was a long and tedious process. Riggs tried to keep himself still, but kept fidgeting. Most of the time he barely realized he was doing it. He was passed out for part of it, which was the fastest and most efficient Joule was able to stitch. Unfortunately, it didn't last too long. A cannon woke Riggs up and caused him to jolt, which just about scared the shit out of Joule.

It must have looked like a pretty silly sight. Riggs was sprawled out across the bar table, Joule hunched over him, hands bloody, trying to make stitches that didn't make Riggs's wounds worse.

After what felt like an eternity, it was done. Joule disinfected the wounds and wrapped them up. He wiped the sweat off his face with his shirt and quickly helped Riggs to sit up, drink some water, and have some food. Joule wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking, but he thought he saw a little more color on Riggs's cheeks.

"You doing okay?" Joule asked quietly.

Riggs gave a small nod, licking his lips before saying a quiet, "Yeah."

Joule's lips spread into a grin. He had wanted to feel everything, and this was something he hadn't felt before. But he liked it.

"You should get some sleep," Joule said, before helping Riggs lay back down on the table. Joule kept watch, just in case something were to go wrong, but Riggs's bandages were only seeping minimally, a dramatic improvement from before. Joule couldn't help but smile. Maybe he would be able to do good things after all.

Joule wasn't sure how much time had passed before Riggs's eyes opened.

"I can't sleep," the boy from Six croaked.

"Yeah," Joule sighed, "I know how that feels." He stared at his hands, which had some splatter of blood on them even though he had been wearing rubber gloves when he was stitching Riggs's wound.

"I…" The boy from Six bit his lip and Joule glanced down at him. "God, I just… Made a dumb choice."

Joule laughed at that. Joule didn't laugh all that much, but that just got him. In the worst, most bitter, terrible, dark kind of way, it was funny.

"I wouldn't know anything about _that_ ," he said.

"Oh… Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, I deserve it," Joule sighed.

"I went to the bloodbath to get injured," Riggs said quietly. "I thought nobody would know, but I wasn't really subtle about it."

Joule was shocked. Why would someone go to the bloodbath intentionally!? Joule had gone because he had simply not cared if he lived or died back then. But Riggs… well, Riggs had it all, didn't he?

"I wanted Gian to pay attention to me," Riggs said bitterly.

"Well, he did…" Joule knew that was no real help. "That reminds me, though, it came with a note."

Riggs's brown eyes lit up at that news. "Is there? What does it say? Joule!"

Joule smiled a bit. Gian would forgive Riggs, surely, wouldn't he? Joule unfolded the paper and the moment his eyes skimmed the words he knew he didn't want to tell the truth.

"Joule?" Riggs asked.

"Riggs-"

"Just tell me Joule! Please."

Joule swallowed hard. But he read it. "Don't let Gian break your heart, Baby. I'll be waiting for you to get back already."

Riggs stared at the ceiling, in shock. "O-Oh."

"I'm sure that's not to say he-"

"I was such a fucking idiot!" Riggs said, and Joule noticed him balling his fists and hitting the table with them.

"Mentors aren't always allowed to put notes in with their gifts…" Joule said, biting his lip. He could see tears in Riggs's eyes and suddenly wished he'd lied. Apparently he wasn't so bad at that. Lying was pretty sweet until you got caught, after all. If only he hadn't had to learn that lesson.

"I… God, I-"

"I'm sorry Riggs… I'm sure he'll send you a note whenever he can…" Joule, for once, didn't know what to say. He was totally lost for words.

"Dammit Riggs!" the Six boy said, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Riggs…" Joule said quietly. He could barely look into the face of the broken heart. It too strongly reflected his own.

"I can't believe I've gotten myself into so much shit," Riggs said.

"Hey, it could be worse, right?" Joule said. Maybe it was too soon to joke about it, but he could see Riggs debating whether he should try to hold back a small smile. "Here, let me help you sit up." Joule helped Riggs get to a sitting position and noticed that Riggs seemed stronger this time than last, even if he was distraught.

"It's still all my fault, I'm a horrible excuse for a human being and-"

"Riggs. Please. You're anything but a bad person."

Riggs glanced up with teary eyes.

"People make mistakes sometimes. But that doesn't make them bad people."

Riggs pointed a finger up at Joule. "Then you gotta follow your own philosophical advice."

Both of them laughed a little bit, and Joule kept talking. "People fuck up, but most messes can be picked up with enough dedication and time."

"Same to you," Riggs said, smiling.

The joy quickly drained out of Joule, though. "I… I don't know if that's true."

"You can-"

"Riggs. What person with a brain would get back together with someone who broke their trust so painfully?" Joule could feel tears forming in his eyes that he couldn't really fight. "I love Rilah with all my heart, but just because I love her doesn't mean our commitment is any less broken. I love her with all that I am, but that doesn't mean that the trust is any less shattered. My love doesn't fix this mess. Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean she's going to forgive me." Joule knew he should stop talking, but he liked to speak his thoughts sometimes. It helped make them more tangible.

"Come on, I'm sure-"

"Some things can't be fixed, Riggs. Some relationships will remain broken." A tear rolled out of Joule's eyes and down his nose before dripping onto his lap. "I know Rilah. I know the woman I love. And I know that she values trust. I know that she's smart. I know she's not going to take me back, Riggs. I always knew. Even if she still loves me, she'll protect her heart."

Riggs looked up, but was speechless. Joule was sure he didn't know what to say. Joule knew what he was saying was true. He knew it from the bottom of his heart.

"I would want her to. I don't want to hurt her more than I already have. That's what would happen, I'm sure."

"Joule, you're not a bad person."

"Some people will remain broken."

There was a small period of silence between them.

"You can still make it with Gian, you know?"

"Joule-"

"You can't just give up on him!" Joule said, pleading.

"Why shouldn't I when he's already given up on me?" Riggs asked, staring at his hands.

"He hasn't. I know he hasn't. But he definitely will if you give up on him first."

"He said-"

"I'm sure he's crazy about you! We all saw how you were on that rooftop, and there was something there."

"Well maybe it's gone now."

"There's always a chance that it's not. I… I accept that there's no chance for me and Rilah. I really have. I know that there's not a chance for us, because I broke us beyond repair. I lied to her. I humiliated her. And my apologies will do nothing to change or fix it. But you still have a chance."

"Thanks…" Riggs said quietly. Joule gave him a gentle hug, which Riggs returned. He hoped that he could raise the Six boy's spirits a little bit. Together, the boys shared a silent dinner. But it was a different kind of silence than Joule had experienced. It was a peaceful silence. A silence of acceptance. A silence that somehow changed Joule as a person.

Suddenly, the boys were startled by the noise of a quiet ding. Joule immediately fumbled for his knife as the doors to the lift slid open, revealing Joule's worst nightmare.

"Get out of here," Joule said quietly to Riggs. He didn't know where the words came from, but his body was moving before his mind. He helped Riggs out of his place before he heard the voice of his worst nightmare.

"Another cherry."

Joule grabbed a barstool as he realized that Riggs wasn't moving.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Joule shouted, charging at Chance and Nerio with the stool. "GO!"

"Joule!" Riggs yelled, as he was running for the door. Nerio threw the barstool out of Joule's hands and it flew across the room.

Joule felt a tremendous force knock him over, and stared straight into Chance's piercing eyes.

"Chance, take it easy," Nerio said, and in his moment of hesitation Joule yelled again.

"GO! Don't lose your chance, just go! I'll be okay, just GO!" Joule couldn't see Riggs leave, but he heard the door slam as Chance pressed his knife into Joule's neck.

"You always knew this was going to happen, didn't you Rat?"

"Chance, just finish him already!" Nerio called. Joule choked and gasped for air as he felt the warm, thick blood dripping down his neck and pooling by his collarbone. He knew he had done the right thing. Riggs was safe. Riggs was going to get back home. Riggs was going to get the chance Joule never had. That gave Joule a feeling that could not be equaled. Of all the feelings he'd ever felt, that one was somehow the sweetest.

"Where'd his ally go?"

"Chance-"

Suddenly Chance and Nerio were talking over each other over the sound of the boy from Five choking.

"Just making sure this cheating rat knows his place-"

"I'm so sorry Joule."

Joule felt a quick, exploding pain in chest and soon his vision was covered by white as the first self-sacrifice of the Games was made.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: THIS WAS SO HARD. I went back and forth on these scenes for SO LONG. GAH. I have ALL THE FEELS. I hope this long and action-packed chapter was worth the wait (and that the battle scenes weren't too terrible XD)! Man, it's 1:12. I stayed up to write this all in one go, lmao why am I like this? XD**_

 _ **Also, THANK YOU ALL FOR 500 REVIEWS! I feel so blessed to have such enthusiastic and supportive readers, and each review is more motivation to make each chapter the very best it can be! :D**_

 _ **Anyways, here you have it. And with that, here are our eulogies: (*sniffle*)**_

 _ **17**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Ashlyn Bayard, District 12, Killed by Syca Gallen, D7**_

 _ **This was a REALLY tough decision. Ashlyn was a firecracker, and I originally had her going very far, at least final 8, possibly even Victor! But the reason she died in this place is because she is the only tribute left that got zero votes on the final 8 poll. Maybe that's kind of a dumb reason, but in a story with so many amazing characters, sometimes that's just what it comes down to. That being said, she was a lot of fun to write and definitely a really unique character. Now she'll get to be happy with Semper and Aspen in heaven at least, right? Rest well my girl. I loved you and will definitely miss you. Huntress, thank you SO MUCH for her! I hope I did her justice! I hope you will stick around to see Kaelys carry on her legacy and consider submitting to the sequel of this story!**_

 _ **16**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Joule Barode, District 5, Killed by Nerio Thames, D4**_

 _ **GAH! This was another REALLY HARD decision for me. I wanted Joule to make it farther, I really did, but I just thought that now was his time. I wanted to give him a clean-ish end to his arc with his acceptance of his mistake and peace of giving that chance to someone else, and I hope that I gave him a really good death. Thank you for this awesome character with a SUPER COOL plot point, Trace. I know that he was a character close to your heart and even though he didn't even win, I hope that he was portrayed well and you enjoyed seeing him grow and mature throughout the course of the story. He was a very complex character and everything I was looking for to drive the plot. His relationship with Tim melted my heart and always will. I hope you're doing well and I hope that life is good for you! Hope you stick around to see how this ends up and send another awesome character to the sequel!**_

 _ **My poor feels are suffering T.T Anyways, here are points:**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 64**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 135**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 75**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 100**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 220**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 600**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 433**_

 _ **epictomguy: 24**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire'sCatching: 5**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 58**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 149**_

 _ **goldie031: 259**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 344**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 843**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 74**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **MissVolturiKingsfan: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 24**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 269**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 340**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 34**_

 _ **tracelyn: 90**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 39**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 100**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Are you surprised by Ashlyn dying so early? Are you surprised by Joule sacrificing himself? Do you think he was right about Rilah and Gian?**_

 _ **Excited that the action is heating up and I hope you all are too! Sponsoring is still open and the costs will probably increase soon! I will update the has and needs list… Soon. Lol. It's like 1:30 now. So… Later.**_

 _ **Anyways, hope you all had a great thanksgiving! See ya next chapter!**_


	36. Day 4: Ties

_The third night_

-Jacques Noir, 18, District 12-

Things had been a bit tense since two cannons went off that their alliance hadn't caused.

The past day or so had been pretty tense in general. Kaelys seemed convinced that they had to start hunting. Jacques could see where she was coming from. They were officially the biggest alliance in the Games. They had five, and the next largest, the Careers, only had four. It made sense that the biggest alliance shouldn't just cower away the whole Games.

The problem was that none of them were Careers. Kaelys was probably the closest thing, as she seemed to know a good deal about fighting. Jacques had seen death and was familiar with it, but he had never caused it. Ollie, Jacques noticed, had gone through some pain in his life, but probably nothing close to this. Jasper and June both seemed hesitant to take lives. Surely neither of them had to do it before.

Kaelys was all business, and Jasper and Ollie were not. Ollie could get serious when he had to, though, a skill Jacques wasn't sure Jasper had. And that may cause some friction in the future. Well, more friction than there already was.

Ollie had wanted to go outside to see the sunset, so the rest of the alliance chose to follow him. Jacques couldn't help wishing that they would give him and Ollie some space alone for just a minute. It seemed that they could never get a moment to themselves. Which was fine and all, but… Still. It was slightly frustrating.

Kaelys passed around some jerky for dinners as the warm, salty, tropical air filled their noises. It blew Jacques's hair slightly, not enough that it was bothersome, but probably just enough to make it look messy.

"It's amazing that this is all fake," Jasper said, sticking a piece of jerky in his mouth as he ate cheerfully.

"It looks so real…" Ollie said, his voice full of wonder. It was cute. "I wonder how they did it." His unwavering curiosity made Jacques smile. He couldn't help it. It was an attractive quality of Ollie's. One of the uncountable attractive qualities of Ollie.

"Capitol technology is amazing," Kaelys said, but she sounded more bitter than anything. "Wonder if that's what they use Uni students for. Snot-noses."

"I would love to go to University someday," Ollie said.

"After seeing Bec's outfit for chariot rides, I wouldn't," Jasper said, with a hearty chuckle. Jacques had absolutely no idea how he was so cheery and animated in a place where he was going to die just like all the rest of them. Well, hopefully not Ollie. Jacques would pick Ollie over anyone else in that Arena. He was obviously the most deserving. He was a strong guy that had a big heart. He would be a good Victor. District Eleven needed a Victor like Ollie. He could go to University and learn a lot and change hearts. Ollie was pretty good at that. After all, hadn't he warmed Jacques's heart? Hadn't he warmed Chervil's frozen heart? He could change so much. Everywhere he went he melted hearts. That's just who he was. Jacques loved him for it.

Wait.

Shit.

 _Oh shit. What do I do now!? Do I tell him? No, I shouldn't freak him out. I should just wait until he says it first… Shit._

"You okay over there?"

Jacques was pulled out of his thoughts, hoping Ollie, was sitting next to him, couldn't hear his heart beating.

"Yeah. Sorry."

Ollie still looked concerned, which made Jacques's heart beat harder. Before the conversation continued, though, the Capitol anthem started to play and the starry sky was covered by the projection of the seal.

The first face in the sky belonged to the boy from District Five. Jacques wished he could say he was surprised. After what he did, he had it coming to him. That didn't make it any easier, though. Especially for Ollie, who frowned and watched as his smiling face disappeared.

Joule was replaced by Ashlyn.

Jacques's heart stopped. He and Ollie exchanged a horrified look, which was soon exchanged by both Nine tributes.

Jacques felt relieved, mostly. After all, Ashlyn hated him and wanted him dead. He knew, however, that Kaelys wasn't going to take this well. Ashlyn's picture faded and was replaced with the Capitol seal before the projection disappeared.

Slowly, as if agreeing that they'll all go down together, the four of them looked over at their alliance member.

Kaelys was frozen. She didn't look angry or upset at all. Her face was set in a stone-hard expression. Only her eyes betrayed her world crumpling to pieces.

"Kaelys?" Ollie asked quietly, but the girl didn't respond. She didn't even look. There was nothing the other four could do but watch and hope she didn't do anything irrational.

"I'm so sorry Kaelys," June said quietly, but the other girl didn't respond to her either. A silence as heavy and dark as the night sky settled between them.

"She only would have hurt your chances at winning," Jacques said, "You know that." All eyes went on him, but he wasn't sorry. He was speaking the truth.

Kaelys clenched her fists. It was easy to tell that she was clenching her teeth too. But she didn't move.

"Do you want to sleep?" Jasper asked quietly. "Or stay up?"

Kaelys didn't look. She kept staring up at the sky, as if still trying to wrap her head around what she'd just seen.

"Kaelys…?" Ollie asked again, his eyes reflecting the heartbreak she must be feeling.

"How?" her voice quavered unlike Jacques had ever heard before. "Who?"

"It was probably Joule," June said. "She probably took him out too."

"Who did this?!" she asked again, louder. " _Who did this?!_ "

"Someone who was just trying to survive, like the rest of us," Jacques said calmly. He could feel three pairs of eyes on him, but he figured that he could speak to Kaelys through the survivalist logic she was obviously familiar with.

Kaelys's entire body was shaking, tears pooling up in her eyes. Nobody knew what to do for her. There was nothing anyone could do for her.

"Take some water," Ollie said. "Take some deep breaths…"

When he tried to hand her the canteen, she hit it out of his hands, sending it to the ground eerily close to the edge of the pool. Good thing it hadn't fallen in. The large canteen was brand new from a sponsor, and Jacques wasn't sure any of the alliance members could swim well enough to retrieve it from the middle of the pool.

"Water won't bring her _back_!" Kaelys yelled at him, the first tear tracing her cheek. " _Breathing won't bring her back!_ " She was starting to hyperventilate, and Ollie's face grew more and more concerned with each second. She slammed her fist into the ground as hard as she could, causing Ollie and Jasper to jump.

"Kaelys, please-" Jasper started, but Kaelys cut him off.

"Nothing will bring her back! She's _gone_!"

"There's nothing you could have done," June said quietly.

"Nothing I could have _done_?!" Kaelys had to stop yelling to sob and gasp for air. "Of _course_ I could have done something!"

"She was stubborn. You couldn't have convinced her to come with us," Jacques tried. He knew that Kaelys wasn't the type of person that needed to be treated gently in the face of despair.

"Then I should have gone with _her_!"

"You knew this was going to have to happen," Jacques reasoned calmly. "You both chose to separate."

"And I've never regretted a decision more in my _life_!" she said, angrily wiping her eyes.

"Don't you want to win, Kaelys?"

Kaelys sniffled and made another ugly crying sound. Jacques never thought he would see her like this. She seemed like such a strong person. Why wasn't she trying to hold it all back? She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head rapidly.

Jacques asked again, more sternly. "Don't you want to _win_?" Kaelys's head slowly raised to look at him, glaring, with eyes full of fire.

"I wasn't so sure I wanted to!" she sobbed. "Are you happy!? I wasn't sure I wanted to win! I just wanted to _find her_!"

"There's nothing you can do about it now except put yourself back together."

"I was _never_ together!" she shouted, voice cracking. "I was _always_ broken! The only time I was ever 'together' was when I was with _her_!" Jacques felt warmth slide into his hand as Ollie grabbed it, his eyes misty. "She was once in a _lifetime_! And I will never find anyone like her again!" Kaelys covered her face again and sobbed.

June stared down at her hands, and Jacques thought he saw a tear drip down and hit them. Jacques had never been the type to be emotional like they were, he had simply learned how not to be.

"I think we should get some rest," Jasper said. Jacques was surprised that he was the one to speak up.

"Rest won't bring her _back_!"

"She would want you to rest," June said quietly, and the other three nodded in agreement.

It took some more coaxing for Kaelys to go back to the area meant to be a dance floor and lay down.

"Revenge," she said, through clenched teeth and a quivering voice. "Tomorrow _we get revenge_."

"But what about that sponsor note?" Ollie asked, sounding nervously.

"I said, revenge. I'll kill every tribute in here until I find who killed her." Kaelys's voice was full of fire, and the others exchanged a nervous look. With that, Kaelys lay down and closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for her quivering breaths to slow as she drifted to sleep.

After that, Jasper and June lay down wordlessly. They both seemed exhausted and had taken the late watch the night before, so it made sense that Ollie and Jacques would be awake together.

Jacques and Ollie didn't talk. Ollie took his hand and laid his head on Jacque's shoulder, which made Jacques smile a bit. He couldn't help but smile when Ollie was near. He was just so peaceful.

Jacques's mind wandered to what he thought before. The thing that he wasn't sure if he should bring up. It was too soon, surely. There was no doubt in his mind about that. That was why it was such a battle. He wasn't sure what to do.

Then he thought of the events of that night. Kaelys probably wished she had said what she was thinking before it was too late. They were in an Arena. Jacques was going to die. He knew that he had to say it while he could. He couldn't just hold something like that in.

"You awake over there?" Jacques asked, his voice slightly teasing and soft.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave you to watch alone." Ollie gave him a smile that made Jacques smile back.

"I could, though. If you wanted to sleep."

"Nah. I'd rather be awake with you."

Jacques smiled, and his heart started to pick up again.

"Hey Ollie?" Jacques asked, heart pounding. Surely he could feel it. Jacques couldn't help but feel nervous. This was something that was really important. He knew Ollie could feel his hands shaking. There was no way he couldn't.

"Hm?"

Jacques took a deep breath, collecting whatever courage he had left in him. "So, uh…"

"Are you alright?"

"No, I'm fine. I just…" Jacques took another deep breath. "I just… Today, um…"

"Yes?"

"Today kind of made me realize…"

Ollie's face was a combination of confused and concerned as he looked at Jacques with those gentle brown eyes that made him melt.

"Well…" _Come on Jacques. Just get it out_. He had never felt more nervous in his entire life. "It made me realize that I love you Ollie." Bam. There. It was out. No taking it back now. Shit, what if it was wrong to say? What if-

"Oh…" He looked shocked. _Yikes. Bad choice Jacques._ It felt good to say it, though. It was out there, and he knew, and that was what mattered. "I see." His mouth went up into a smile and he laughed a little bit. _Good sign, right?_

"You don't have to say it back. I know it's… It's ridiculous. Guess I just fell fast. I just… Y'know, it's something I wanted you to know, because, y'know, we're here and all-"

"It's okay." With each second that passed, Ollie's smile grew. "I know what you mean. I… Yeah. I love you too."

Jacques couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he interlocked the fingers of his other hand with Ollie's. Both of them were smiling too much for a proper kiss, which made Jacques laugh, which made Ollie laugh, until they were just looking into each other's eyes and smiling like idiots, but happy idiots. Maybe they were awkward, and far from perfect, but that didn't matter because they were together and happy and they were in love. They were really truly in love.

The boat rocked comfortably as Ollie put his head back on Jacques's shoulder and Jacques ran his hands through Ollie's close-cropped hair. It was soft under Jacques's fingers.

For the first time in his life, Jacques Noir couldn't stop smiling. He couldn't help it at this point. Surely he was the luckiest man alive. There was no doubt about that in his mind.

Jacques Noir had always been content, but he had never really been happy. He had no idea there was even a difference until now. But now, now he knew. Now he was able to see the world in technicolor. It was an amazing feeling.

He realized that he would have been nothing but satisfied dying in that very moment.

Hopefully, though, he wouldn't have to. Hopefully he could have many more moments like this before he lost his life. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with the man of his dreams before he left the earth.

 _Don't think about that now, Jacques._

For once, the boy from District Twelve was able to close his eyes and live happily in that moment. The future was not a worry. The past didn't matter. Not with Ollie by his side.

Not in this perfect moment.

~.~.

* * *

 _The fourth day_

-Jasper Pearce, 18, District 9-

It had been another long night of silence between him and June. It seemed that now that the cameras weren't in their faces anymore, they'd totally dropped the act. Jasper didn't have the heart to keep it up, and June obviously didn't either. They both knew now that one of them would have to die for the other to win, and that definitely caused some tension.

Then again… They were united under the same District flag. Whether they liked it or not, they grew up together. They knew things about each other that other people didn't know. They couldn't just pretend they didn't have all those things.

Jasper tried to focus on the bright side, though. Free cruise! That was pretty cool, right? Granted, they couldn't actually _do_ much. Especially not with Kaelys in charge of the alliance. Jasper was kind of bummed about that. Shouldn't they at least get to enjoy their time on the cruise ship if it was going to be some of their last days? Jasper wanted to live as much as the rest of them, but he wasn't sure he had what it took to win.

No, he needed to get out of his own head. He would never win if he didn't think like a Victor. Still, though…

Jasper sighed and went to distract himself by helping June wake the others. He knew it was going to be a tremendously long day, and he had no way to prepare for it other than rubbing his eyes and yawning. The alliance had a small breakfast, and there was a horrible silence between them. Kaelys's eyes were still red from her crying the previous night. Jasper didn't really like to think about the events of the previous night. Not that he _minded_ that his female ally was so open about her obvious love for another female tribute, just… It made him think about his own experience. God, that was dumb. There was nothing wrong with it. He was just… Still… It was all jumbled up in his mind.

He hadn't been able to collect his thoughts at all since he'd been reaped. Something was messing with his mind, it seemed. And that something was the resurgence of all the heartbreak and love he had felt towards June. It was like a nasty wound that was reopened within this whole mess. At the worst time possible, nonetheless.

"Still hellbent on revenge?" June asked. Of course she would be the first one to speak in this incredibly tense situation.

"I…" Kaelys sighed. "I'm sorry. My judgment was… Clouded."

Jasper could have done a dance he was so relieved. After all, they didn't even have enough for all of them to even _have_ a weapon. They had three knives and a bow and arrows. One knife had been in the cornucopia, one had been given to Kaelys, and one had been given to Jacques. That meant that one of them would not get a weapon. And it was either Jasper or Ollie, neither of whom would thrive in hand-to-hand combat with an armed Career. It didn't matter if they outnumbered the alliance.

"The sponsor was right," she continued. "The Careers are probably armed and all we have are a bow and a couple of knives."

"And my awesome hat!" Jasper added. At least he could make Ollie smile. One person happier was better than none.

"What do we do then?" June asked, bringing the alliance back on topic.

"I…" Kaelys sighed. "I want to do something. Sponsors have sent us all this stuff. We should do something with it. As long as we don't run into the Careers, we should be fine. Even if we do, at least we have a game plan." They had talked about it. There were four Careers and five of them. Kaelys would take on Luna, Jacques would take Dania, Ollie assisting him, June would go for Attila with her distance weapon, and Jasper, with the knife from the Cornucopia, would take on Ester. "We're big enough to take any other tributes we run into."

"It's a big risk," Ollie said. Jasper agreed.

"The staircase is there," Kaelys said. "We'll go back downstairs. We can choose our battles."

"Sounds good to me," June said, and the others agreed. Jasper was nervous about it, but he knew that they wouldn't win by just sitting around. They had to take action. The more tributes that were slain, the better for all of them. The closer they were to getting back home.

The alliance packed up their stuff and went to the stairwell. Just as Kaelys pushed the door open, the alliance heard voices. Voices that they were hoping to avoid.

"Go," Kaelys said, "Hurry."

Kaelys slipped through the door first. Jacques put a hand on Ollie's back and gently led him through the door next, following close behind. Jasper let June go in front of him, for whatever reason, when he heard a voice shout, "There!" Jasper cursed under his breath. They were spotted.

The alliance was flying down the steps, skipping steps on the way down.

"They spotted us!" Jasper called, and he heard the door open as his feet hit the first platform.

"Head out!" Luna's voice cut through. Soon, Jasper realized that battle was unavoidable. He caught up with the others, who were panting.

"Bec!" gasped Ollie.

"What?" Kaelys asked.

"Bec is w-with them," he said. "We- we don't out number them like we thought we did." He sounded defeated. They barely had time to think before Luna came flying down the stairs. June pulled back an arrow and shot, which landed in her shoulder and caused her to scream.

"Shit," Kaelys hissed.

"What do we do?! I don't have a weapon!" Ollie gasped.

Jasper watched in horror as Jacques put his knife in Ollie's hand. "Take it."

"Jacques-" Ollie started, wrapping his hand lightly around the handle. Jacques dropped the knife as Luna caught up to them. Kaelys charged at her, tackling her to the ground. The other Careers appeared soon after. Jasper's hand clutched the knife tightly, shaking. June pulled back an arrow and shot at Attila, which flew right past him.

Jasper charged at Dania, who jumped down the stairs and collided with him, sending the two of them toppling down.

The stairwell echoed with screams, but Jasper couldn't focus on them. Dania fought fiercely. She sent her hatchet flying towards Jasper's head. He moved his head as much as he could, the hatchet catching on his ear and causing him to scream as his vision was pounded with black. He struggled against her fiercely strong grip as he heard his allies crying out for help.

"Y-out cut my hat!" Jasper said, trying to focus on anything but the pounding of his pulse. "How rude!"

Dania didn't even flinch at his joke, keeping a hold on him. As she shifted her balance to haul her axe up, Jasper was able to throw her small weight off of him. His body quivered and he blinked black spots away as he got to his feet. Before he knew it, though, she was charging at him again, looking fiercer than ever. Jasper feebly put up his knife and glanced around at the rest of the battle in the few seconds he had.

Dania's hatchet was raised and she ran towards him at all her might. Jasper raised his knife, his legs quivering. He braced himself, trying to ignore the sticky red that was pulsing down the side of his neck and soaking into the collar of his T-shirt. Each heartbeat brought more pain as the air hit the muscle and bone of his skull in a way that it definitely shouldn't have. Part of him was trying to think of a joke to use. _Maybe_ , he thought, _if I joke, she won't kill me._ After all, what was more humanizing than a joke? Surely she would realize that he was a person just like her, and didn't deserve to die. They'd been through all of this together, after all. If he could just appeal to her human side, maybe he could get out of this. As blood poured down his neck, gushing out of a hole where his right ear should have been, he knew that his fighting would certainly not be enough to hold her back.

The only joke he could think of was "I'm holy," but he had a feeling that was both lame as fuck and copyrighted. He would have to fight until he could think of a way to win her over. As unlikely as that seemed.

Jasper had his knife up, focusing on taking deep breaths, but before Dania could strike, she was thrown to the wall by Kaelys, whose hands were covered in blood. Jasper, shocked that Kaelys still wasn't fighting the Career, looked over at Luna's body, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide in shock as she lay in a puddle of blood, multiple stab wounds gushing out blood and a knife handle sticking out of her back.

Jasper had just noticed Jacques's body, covered in blood, his face frozen. June shot another arrow that whizzed straight past both Attila and Ester, who screamed.

Kaelys slammed Dania against the wall and yelled, "Let's go!" Her allies didn't have to be told twice. Ollie was already on his way down the stairs and out the door, June right behind him. Kaelys hurried down, and Jasper turned to go, run as fast as he could, when pain exploded in his back and sent him to the ground. He spit up his own crimson blood and realized that he'd been struck.

"June!" he choked, hoping she could hear him. He had to give her his backpack. She'd die without it and they both knew it. It had the most important item in it. With the last of his strength, Jasper threw the backpack. Before he could see if she caught it or not, another strike to his head caused his vision to turn to white.

He had so much left to do. So much left to say. And he hadn't gotten to live any of it.

In the blink of an eye, it was over. He was nothing but a cannon.

The Careers had taken another.

~.~.

* * *

 _The fourth night_

-Dania Lidano, 18, District 2-

Three faces. Dania was surprised there were only three. Although she had a feeling everyone came out of that battle worse-for-wear. Dania had a terrible headache, and all of her allies, even Bec, had gashes and slashes fixed by some of the bandages they'd gotten from the Cornucopia.

Dania was still trying to get the entire story of what happened. Jacques immediately targeted Ester. She had minor wounds, but he'd been killed quickly by Attila. In Attila's brief distraction, June hit him in the thigh with an arrow. It didn't do much to stop him, but her arrow work and agility kept her from tackling her. He wasn't fast enough to keep up with her.

Ollie fought Bec. That was the most confusing part. Surely Bec had the ability to take out Ollie. Bec was a fighter and all Ollie had was a knife. It was all beyond Dania. Why wouldn't Bec kill Ollie and get one step closer to going home?

Maybe the same reason Dania… Well, never mind.

Meanwhile, Dania had fought Jasper. She got a hit in on the side of his head before he threw her off and Kaelys attacked her. Dania had hit her head when Kaelys slammed her against the wall, and by the time she'd gotten it together, the alliance had run away. Well, all except for Jasper, who was slain easily by Attila. Attila looked mad.

The anthem played and all three faces were shown in turn. First, Luna, the powerhouse from District Four. Simply outmatched by a tribute with an equal level of tenacity. Dania was a bit confused about how Luna had lost that fight. The Games were unfair. Dania knew that much for sure. Next, Jasper. And finally, Jacques. Ester said that he didn't even have a weapon when he charged. Could that be a self-sacrifice? Dania wondered. She was suddenly glad she wasn't blinded like the rest of them were.

True, it still hurt to think about Miya losing her life. Miya didn't deserve to die so early, that was true. But Dania wanted to win for her. And for Maggie, too. The lovely Capitolite she met at the party. Plus, Dania was determined to be part of Nona and Carlen's wedding party someday. She had everything to live for. Everything outside of these walls. She wasn't living for anything inside this dome except for herself.

Which meant that she had to make smart decisions. Dania knew that a concussion was very possible, and she should be careful how she approaches the next few days. Almost half of the tributes were gone, after all. Ester and Attila were obviously loyal to each other, and Bec was not to be trusted. And with Luna gone, Dania's real allies were quickly thinning out.

She was alone on watch that night, and had plenty of time to think. They had ended up in the fitness center on the third floor before the rest of them couldn't stand to move anymore. Here they had started tended to their wounds until all of them were too tired to go on. Dania was the one that had to stay up on watch, because she only had a few slash marks on her arms. And this annoying headache.

Dania knew what she had to do. It was a risk on all levels, but if it worked, it was the clearest path to Victory.

Dania looked at her allies one last time, taking a deep breath and shifting slightly. None of them moved. Dania stood up slowly. Still no movement. Dania wrapped a backpack around her shoulders as quietly as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest as her allies didn't move. Dania took a step towards the door to the stairwell. Nobody moved.

Without a second thought, Dania slid through the doorway, never looking back.

From there, her goal was obvious. Dania went down the stairs, heart still pounding as she held her hatchet.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.

Dania whipped around, ready to fight. It was nothing. She took a deep, quivering breath and turned back around. _Only being paranoid,_ she thought to herself, sighing.

She stepped out into the restaurant, tables set up daintily in the dark room. Dania hurried through, peeking out the doorway with a back to the wall. She thought the second floor was mostly clear, but she could never be truly sure.

She went into the art gallery, keeping her weapon.

 _This isn't going to work_ , she thought with despair. _I could get myself killed._

But she had to try.

She Went into a shop, and was shocked at the sight she was met with. The floor was covered in blood, and all around were pieces of a broken… Something. Dania turned away from the shards, quickly hurrying out of there. The room reeked of blood. She wondered if someone had died there. It seemed pretty likely.

She exited the shop carefully and crossed the room. Taking a deep breath, Dania pushed the door to the casino open.

The second she stepped in, Dania was thrown to the ground, the wind being knocked out of her as she gasped.

"Wait!" Dania yelled urgently. Wicke looked exhausted and was holding her knife dangerously close to Dania's neck. The District Two girl started to feel seriously afraid. Maybe this was a mistake.

"What do you want?" Wicke asked quickly, staring down at her with intense, cold eyes.

"I want an alliance," Dania said quickly. Wicke liked things to be straightforward, so Dania tried to be as upfront as possible.

"Why?"

"The Careers are a shit show."

"No lie, but _why_?" The knife was practically touching Dania's neck.

"You're trained and vicious and so am I. There are still twelve left. I want someone to be loyal to only me and in return I'll be loyal to only you."

Wicke's face betrayed nothing. Dania was starting to wonder if she should fight back and just get it over with.

"I saw you," Dania continued. "That's how I knew where you were. I kept it in mind. I knew from the beginning I was going to ditch them."

" _Why_?!" Wicke still didn't trust Dania.

"Because you have obvious talent and drive… And… Acacia. I want revenge. Don't you?"

There was a long pause. "Yeah."

"You're not going to take down Chance and Nerio alone. No matter how stubborn you are."

Wicke hesitated a single second before she put her knife away and got off of Dania. "You're right. Your logic seems sound."

Dania smiled. "Awesome."

Wicke gave a small smile back.

"You look exhausted," Dania noticed. "Have you slept at all?"

"On and off, but not really."

Dania smiled a bit. "Figured. You can sleep if you want. I'll take watch."

Wicke gave a small smile back. "Yeah. Alright."

Dania breathed a sigh of relief as Wicke immediately fell asleep. She had no idea how this crazy plan worked, but she was glad it did.

The other tributes better watch their backs.

Both of them were fire.

And the fire would destroy everything that stood in its way.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: MY FEELS! AGHHHH! But… Hey, I'm back at it! My semester is finally over so now that I'm on break I should be able to update more! Here's to hoping… This story's getting incredibly intense and I can't wait for more action! We haven't even gotten to the really good stuff!**_

 _ **So, what did you think of this chapter? I hope you enjoyed it! And I'm so, so sorry XD (but not too sorry, lol). And now, *sniffles*, my eulogies.**_

 _ **15**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Jacques Noir, District 12, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains, D10**_

 _ **I knew Jacques would die pretty early just because he was so accepting of his inevitable death and, being in love with Ollie, would be nothing but content dying for him. I just had to give him the happiness of being loved for a little while before he was killed. He was such a fun and unique character and I'm so glad that I got the honor of writing him for this crazy journey. Thank you so much for him, Pi. It really hurt me to do this, trust me. He was super unique and everything about him was so much fun. His legacy will certainly live on through Ollie, and there is still plenty of plot left in his death.**_

 _ **14**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Luna Pentti, District 4, Killed by Kaelys Deinard, D3 (?)**_

 _ **I'm sure that this was a shock for many of you. I was debating who to kill, because I couldn't imagine the Careers getting out of a battle with vengeful Kaelys unscathed. Luna had an amazing plot and amazing potential to win, but ultimately she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, fighting the wrong tribute. I'm so sorry it had to end this way for her. She deserved a much more epic death than she got, but there are still some questions to be answered about her and she will still contribute to the plot. She really should have gone farther, but I've had to make a lot of tough decisions about character deaths in this story and this was just one of them I had to make. Thanks a lot for her, Rose! I hope you'll stick around for answers and submit another great character for the sequel to this story!**_

 _ **13**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Jasper Pearce, District 9, Killed by Attila of the Windy Plains, D10**_

 _ **I am… So sorry David. I honestly didn't have Jasp dying in the plan. I was going to have him live and realize that he and June needed to make amends, but… As I was writing him, I went with my gut, and that was what it was. I thought his death would drive June's arc more. It was an interesting situation because the crowd all liked Jasp better, while you're partial to June. So we're going to see what happens from here. Anyways… I have no words for Jasp as a character. I don't think I've ever received a character for my SYOT that I was able to… Speak through. And Jasp was it. He was always easy to write with because I understood everything he was going through. I kind of took him my own direction because I just… Damn I love him so much! And I was able to reflect everything I was feeling through him. Which is an honor that no other character has really received. I put pieces of myself into every character I receive, but Jasp is special because I put everything into him. I really, really loved this sweet boy that just had to keep smiling, and I respect his tenacity to be brave in the face of heartbreak. He was a Victor consideration for a LONG time, since I got him, but ultimately I followed my gut. I hope you don't mind how I ran with him and how he reflected me. Thanks for this special tribute, David. Hope you stick around to see what happens to June and submit another amazing character to this story's sequel!**_

 _ **As for the prices for items, I've decided I'm pushing it another death because one more and we're halfway through! And I feel like that's a good time to start upping the prices. So buy while you can! The has/needs list is not exactly updated, so I'll try to work on that after this is posted.**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 64**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 145**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 5**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 100**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 230**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 610**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 333**_

 _ **epictomguy: 24**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire'sCatching: 5**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 58**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 149**_

 _ **goldie031: 264**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 344**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 843**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 84**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **MissVolturiKingsfan: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10- assuming that the guest review after is yours**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 24**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 279**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 350**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 34**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 110**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **Chapter Question: How did Luna lose to Kaelys? Was it a fair fight or were there other factors at play? Will Dania and Wicke stay together? Are they both being honest? What will happen to Bec now that he's alone with Estilla?**_

 _ **That's all I gotta say for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter!**_


	37. Day 5 I: Consequences

_The fifth day_

-Bec Pierre, 17, District 3-

Bec had made a lot of questionable decisions in the five days he'd been here. He would be the first to admit that. He would be the first to admit that he hadn't always made the right choice.

Tav had warned him that he wouldn't. Bec was prepared to make bad decisions. But he wasn't prepared to make bad decisions that cost him the life of his ally. He wasn't prepared to make decisions that cost him the life of a person who was more well-loved than Bec had ever been back home. Bec wasn't prepared to make a decision so bad that it cost him the life of the only other person that would take care of his friends back home.

But most importantly, and most chillingly, Bec wasn't prepared to make a decision so shitty it had cost him the life of a friend.

Even when in the clutches of the Careers, Bec hadn't let go of his grudge against them. They were no better than the group of thugs Bec dealt with back home in District Three. Those kids that thought they could get away with beating down his friends. Bec made sure they paid for what they did to them. And in the same way, the Careers were going to pay. It was just a game of chess. The most sadistic game of chess Bec would ever have to play. The most dangerous, as well.

Bec wouldn't feel an ounce of regret for hurting the people that killed Dyna. He wouldn't even blink an eye over any of their bloody corpses.

However, even though Bec was mad, he was not rash. He would patiently and strategically wait. Nudge certain pieces in certain directions. Until everything came together and he was able to make sure all of them were dead.

He'd already claimed his first victim, after all. And she was also the most important. After all, it was Luna who had taken Dyna's life.

Bec didn't want to fight Ollie. The boy from Eleven had never done anything wrong to him. Ollie's hands shook around that knife he was holding. He didn't want to hurt Bec. He was only charging because that's what Kaelys had told him to do. Bec knew that.

Maybe Bec should have killed Ollie. But Ollie wasn't the important target. Bec wanted revenge.

It was a pretty ballsy risk. Kaelys may have though that Bec was going after him and taken him on. Or given some kind of indication to Attila, Ester, and Dania that Bec was helping her. But Kaelys was smart. She lived the same kind of life that Bec did. Of all tributes, it was most likely that Kaelys could have taken down a Career.

Ollie had gotten Bec's hint to stop attacking. He had almost served as a cover, just in case one of the other teens who was still fighting had a chance to look up. It had give Bec the perfect chance to finish the work that Kaelys had already started by throwing a knife straight at Luna. Bec felt nothing but pleasure over her corpse. After all, she was the main target. She was a peg-in for Victor, and she hadn't even made it to the top half. And that in itself was satisfying for Bec.

Bec's other three allies didn't know a thing about what really happened to Luna. Attila was too dumb to think about it, and Ester was too distracted with wounds. Dania was woozy from the fight as well. Bec wondered if they were suspicious of his mysterious lack of injuries. If they were, they didn't say anything, though, which was lucky for Bec. Sometimes taking a chance really did pay off. And that was a big chance.

Bec wasn't really sleeping. When his only allies were trained killers, he really couldn't. He knew they'd take him out in a heartbeat. It didn't matter to Ester that she wasn't trained. She acted like she was. She was acting more and more like a full-fledged Career every day. Bec hoped she'd die before she became too big of a threat. Yet, at the same time, he was far too terrified of what Attila would be like without her. He was already proving to be a Class A Nightmare _with_ her. Bec couldn't imagine what he'd be like without her. And Bec would be damned if someone so heartless and brainless as Attila somehow won the Games.

Bec heard the light grunt of Ester waking up, probably to take second watch. Dania would awaken her and go to sleep. For some reason, Bec didn't get to watch. Probably a smart reason. They knew he'd run or kill them all if they dared get any real shut-eye. He wasn't one of them. Even if he was masquerading as one. He wasn't a heartless killer. He was simply a man seeking revenge for what had been taken from him. Just as before.

"Dania!"

Ester's worried exclamation woke both Bec and Attila. Bec sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering what could have happened. When he looked around, though, he was shocked to find that it was morning, and he had unintentionally slept through the night.

He was even more shocked that the girl from District Two was nowhere to be found.

"Attila, Dania's gone!" Ester said, her voice panicked.

"What?"

"Where-"

"What did you do to her, Sewer Rat?!" Attila barked at Bec, who practically jumped out of his own skin in fear.

"I didn't touch her!" he said quickly, defensively, his mind whizzing as he tried to think of an escape route.

"What the-" Attila grumbled.

"She's gone!" Ester said, her voice becoming less panicked and more angry. "She's gone and she took a boatload of supplies with her."

Bec was both impressed and horrified. He hadn't even heard her leave as he was laying there, eyes closed, half-asleep.

"What?" Attila dropped his harsh gaze on Bec to look back at Ester.

"That little bitch!" Ester said. She sounded mad, more angry than Bec thought the bubbly girl could ever get. This was starting to not look so good for her.

"Then I guess it's just the two of us," Attila said, reaching for his weapon. Bec's heart practically stopped in his chest. He had no idea what to do, where to go. He couldn't fight the pair. Not now that Ester had gotten so good at stabbing people.

"Hold on, you don't want to do that," Bec said, trying to keep his voice from quivering. He couldn't show a single sign of fear or else he'd be done for.

"I think he does," Ester said, giving him a smile Bec could only describe as devilish. "After all, we broke up the only other alliance in this Games that is a threat to us. And one less you means one less step on the way to the title." Of course she was thinking like a strategist. The Games make people desperate, after all. Desperate for their own lives. Wasn't that why Bec had done what he did up to that point?

"You're so smart," Attila said.

"Thanks babe," Ester said sweetly. Bec wanted to throw up at the sadistic pair. How he ever ended up with this group… Bad decisions. Many bad decisions that just layered up on each other. And he was about to make another one.

"I know where Dania is!" came out of Bec's mouth before he could stop it. Damn. He was such a liar.

"Why didn't you stop her?" Ester asked. "I call bullshit."

Bec knew he couldn't sweat. It really wasn't a big problem. He had lied before, many many times before, and he was a seasoned convincer. It would be no problem to talk himself out of this mess. The bigger problem was what would happen to him after he talked himself out of this mess. He would have to think fast.

"I watched her go. I heard her kind of mumbling to herself before she went, all quiet."

"Was she mumbling?" Ester asked Attila.

"I was sleeping."

Ester sounds bothered when she says, "So was I."

"She was. I heard. Luna dying pushed her off the edge." Bec was only making the most logical guess at what happened, but hopefully it would be enough. He had lied to many different kinds of people before, but Ester may possibly be the biggest challenge yet. It takes one to know one, after all.

"Why would she go out into the open?"

"She's Dania. She's rash."

"She's scared too," Ester says quietly, thinking to herself. "She's intimidated by Attila and my love."

"She left. I know where she went. She was talking about it."

"Where did she go?" Ester asked. "I want to know. We're going there right after breakfast and if she isn't there or anywhere near, you're dead."

Bec was lying through his teeth. He had to find a way to save himself. But right now, there was no way. It was two against one, and they had more brawn than him, which would ultimately be what was important. He'd either have to separate them, or lead them to tributes that can break them up.

The problem was that Bec didn't know where any of the other tributes were. The directions they went after the bloodbath didn't matter anymore, they were probably all moving. If only he knew where Chance and Nerio were. If only he knew where Kaelys's small alliance was. But he didn't. All this time he'd been lying about knowing any of that. And now it was really coming back to bite him.

"You have one second before we kill you right here."

Damn, she wasn't even giving him time to come up with a lie. Bec knew he couldn't stammer or take time to think now. He just had to say a sentence that sounded natural. "She said something about going back to the Cornucopia."

Ester paused. "Do you believe him, Babe?" she asked, turning to Attila.

"Yeah," he grunted. "Sure."

There was a pause. "Alright. Let's have some grub then go back there. And if we don't find Dania, you'll be out of luck."

Bec didn't budge. He didn't let any kind of relief show. He knew that even something as simple as sighing in relief could set Ester against him. Then she'll throw him to Attila like a piece of raw meat to a dog. When Ester hands Bec a single cracker, as opposed to her and Attila's stacks, Bec can't help but wish he could make her look in a mirror. He didn't say or do anything in resentment, though. Instead he just smiled and thanked her for the food. He had to do everything he could to stay on her good side, after all. It was life or death now. The most delicate, dangerous game he had ever played before in his life.

He prayed that they ran into another tribute. He prayed that there were some kind of mutts, just waiting to get them. He prayed that something would happen to work in his favor.

"Let's go!" Ester said, zipping up her backpack. Attila stood dutifully, like her obedient little soldier. He led the way, as any dutiful guard dog should. Ester gestured for Bec to go next, probably to keep him from slipping out from the line when they weren't looking. The Queen took up the back.

Together the alliance walked to the staircase. Bec prayed that a miracle would save him.

Somehow, he just knew that the room with the golden horn was going to be empty.

And then he would have to fight for his life.

~.~.

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

Things had been tense ever since Nerio killed Joule.

He had let the boy from District Five go once. Chance was too focused on Acacia when Joule reached the supplies, and Nerio gave him a pass. He just couldn't help it, he felt bad for the poor, pitiful shell of a human being. Ultimately, he knew that Joule wasn't going to be any kind of competition. He knew that Joule would realize there was no future for him and his fiancé and self-destruct after that. Nerio was glad that at least he died courageously, sacrificing himself to give his ally a chance. Not that Riggs would ever get that chance, not under Chance and Nerio's watch, but it was still a good thought, and he did buy his ally at least a couple of days.

Nerio was glad that at least Joule didn't have to die in disgrace. As much as the boy from Four didn't want to admit it, he had a bit of a soft spot for the kid. Even though Nerio had used him to get ahead as the _heartbreaker_ , he still felt bad that Joule had made such dumb decisions. And, of course, he was thinking all this with the knowledge that Joule was dead. He would never think such things about the boy from Five if he were still alive. That would be dangerous.

Nerio knew how badly Chance wanted to kill Joule. He knew how badly Chance wanted to drag it out. But ultimately, Nerio couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand watching it. It was just too horrible. Nerio wanted to win, but Nerio also had an honor code about the Games.

He knew he'd have to kill, sure. But he also knew that a long, torturous death was a step too far. Nerio wanted to kill them quick and clean. Either way, long or short, it was still one less competitor in the way. If they fought back, maybe it would have to be slow, but Joule wasn't putting up much of a fight. He knew he was going to die. And Nerio didn't think Joule deserved the pain and suffering Chance was going to put him through. So, he did the rash and dumb thing and just killed him.

They'd argued after that. Chance was mad at Nerio for stealing his kill. Nerio just tried to stay very calm, even when it was hard. Chance eventually cooled down when he noticed how tense Nerio was starting to get. Nerio was glad for that. He didn't want to yell.

That night, Chance fucked him, but it was different than the last few times. Well, first it was different because they were no longer in a bedroom. Instead, they were in a bar. Unfortunately, there weren't any drinks, though. Instead of doing it on the bed, Nerio ended up bent over the counter. It wasn't anything he'd ever done before, but he liked it. It was satisfying. Chance was rougher than usual, and talked far less. He was obviously still mad. If anything, though, that made it even more hot.

But when he woke up the next morning, he seemed back to normal. Nerio hoped that maybe sex and sleep had helped him cool off. Either way, as Nerio had said at least five times, he was dead either way. And Nerio wasn't with him. Nerio was with Chance. That seemed to satisfy him.

Also, it was hard to argue when both of them were wearing their ridiculous hats. It was probably a pretty ridiculous sight, looking back, the two of them having a hushed conversation about killing someone in those stupid hats.

The hats were funny, though. Nerio liked them. They were charming. And, just as the sponsor had requested, Nerio had indeed kept the sombrero on for one of the nights they slept together, back in the bedroom. It was ridiculous, but also hilarious.

Nerio loved those moments when he and Chance laughed together. Since they'd hit the Arena they'd become few and far-between, though. For good reason. After all, to win, Nerio would have to be the ultimate heartbreaker and betray Chance. And the thought of that was… Well, it was unbearable. Just the thought made Nerio's heart freeze with anxiety. He wasn't sure if he could actually do it.

As much as he hated the idea of self-sacrifice, he wasn't sure if he could actually kill Chance if it came down to it. After all, they'd spent so much time together. The past couple weeks or so had just been such a roller coaster. And Nerio was glad that he got to stick it out with Chance. He was glad that he got to live it up with Chance. There was no other person he would have rather spent it with.

Joule was nice and all, but he wasn't Chance. He didn't make Nerio's heart pound hard in his chest. He didn't make Nerio's hands clammy like he was giving an important speech to the President. He didn't make Nerio smile for no reason other than just seeing him. Sure, maybe Joule had some witty things to say, but those were nothing compared to Chance. Nerio had made his choice that day. He killed Joule. Chance was his teammate. They were in this together.

And it went beyond winning sponsors.

To Nerio, at least. He had no idea what Chance was feeling.

Did Nerio feel dumb for falling in love in the Hunger Games? Duh. Did Nerio try to convince himself that he didn't feel that way about Chance for real? All the time. Was Nerio mad that somehow, he succumbed to the stupid prediction in the Quell twist? Yes, of course he was. He never asked for this. He didn't want it. He knew that maybe it would be bad for him, but he didn't care. He was so drawn to Chance. He wanted to be with Chance. And now that was biting him in the ass.

Nerio wished he would have had the courage to realize that now was not the time. He wished he would have ended this before it began. He wished he had never justified it by saying it was "just pretend." It was never acting for Nerio and he knew it. And he knew that it was bad. But he just couldn't stop. He wanted to love Chance and to be loved by Chance, even if it was just a dreamy delusion of his. Chance could still just be acting and Nerio would never know.

Nerio wished he would have left. He wished he would have emotionally detached himself before it came to this. He wished he could be totally sure that he would be the Victor and not give away his chance in a misguided act of selflessness. But he didn't leave. He didn't stop it. And he couldn't say any of those things.

Nerio felt dumb. He felt played. He felt mad, mad that he craved the affection of this boy so much that he had fallen so deeply in love with him. He wished he had been smart, like Luna, but he wasn't. And now he was trapped. He had absolutely nowhere to go. There would only be one Victor of these Games.

Chance stirred from slumber, yawning and sitting up in the sleeping bag the pair had gotten.

"Good morning Sunshine," he said, yawning and stretching.

"Hey," Nerio said, smiling. He wished he could control his thoughts. But he knew he couldn't. There was no stopping love. There was no walking away now, no matter how wrong of a time it was, or how wrong of a place. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept pretty well," Chance yawned. "I sleep better when I lay with you, though."

"Oh please," Nerio scoffed. "There's no way my lap is more comfortable than the pillow on that sleeping bag."

"No, but it's more Nerio."

"What does that have to do with sleeping?" he asked.

"Huh?" Chance asked groggily, wiping his eyes.

"Sleeping?" Nerio asked, raising an eyebrow, but he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, right. Sorry, sometimes I just stop thinking when you're around." He twisted his back and stood up. Nerio wished he could control the smile that felt like it was permanently glued to his face.

"How does more Nerio help with sleeping?"

"I don't know. I guess just because you smell. Like Nerio, I mean, not saying that you actually, like, smell."

Nerio laughed a little bit. "I know what you mean, don't worry." And he did. There was just a distinct Chance scent that Nerio really liked. It was comforting because it was Chance. Although Nerio was sure his "scent" was pretty jank. Probably just sweat and body odor.

"Plus, it helps when you stroke my hair," Chance teased, and Nerio laughed.

"Don't even pretend that's a joke, I know you like it."

"Makes for some interesting bedhead, though," Chance said.

"I'm pretty sure the stroking isn't what makes it crazy," Nerio said with a teasing smile and a wink.

"Do you think it's the pulling then?" Chance asked, laughing when Nerio huffed.

As much as Nerio would huff, though, the smile didn't leave his face. He just couldn't stop smiling when he talked to Chance. And that was kind of a crazy thing, because Nerio wasn't exactly a smiley kind of person. He never thought he would smile this much, all because of one person.

"Don't worry Babe, it's hot," Chance said.

"Not as hot as the sombrero though, right?" Nerio clapped back, causing Chance to huff in annoyance. Nerio noticed that he was still smiling too. That had to be a good sign, right?

"You're never wearing that sombrero during sex again," he said, and Nerio kept on tittering to himself. He couldn't help it. The memory just made him laugh. But in Nerio's defense, he still made it work like a queen, considering Chance was rock hard in record time.

"How about you wear the umbrella hat, then?"

"Also not happening. After a while it irritates behind my ears."

Nerio laughed. "Not even a quickie?"

"Not even if it was your dying wish." That comment made both of them stop smiling, the whole atmosphere shifting as they remembered exactly where they were and what they were out to do.

Chance cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Let's have breakfast," Nerio mumbled, going through a pack to pull out some food.

"Breakfast. Right. Good idea."

Nerio handed him a pack of dried fruit before reaching over to pat down his mild bedhead. "Then we can go hunting." Their eyes met, and Nerio studied every detail of Chance's icy blue eyes looking back into his own.

"Hunting," Chance said, with a small quirk of a smile. "Right. Good idea."

~.~.

-June Fisher, 18, District 9-

She woke up sobbing. She didn't remember her dream, but she knew in her heart it involved him.

By the time Kaelys had shaken her awake, her cheeks were already wet, sobs were already coming out of her mouth and snot was running out of her nose.

Kaelys agreed to watch, and June and Ollie had both crashed. Ollie had cried. He had cried his eyes out. He had screamed and sobbed so loudly Kaelys was covering his mouth and telling him to get over it. June had not cried. June had kept it all in. June fell into a deep sleep the moment she laid down. She was exhausted. She didn't even have nightmares about him. Or, at least, not that she remembered.

To say that June had been doing okay would be a gross fucking lie.

June was not fine. She was not okay, and no amount of convincing could make her think otherwise. She was never going to be fine again. She wasn't going to be fine again because she was a fucking coward that couldn't force out two stupid fucking words to his face.

June wanted to think Jasper died knowing she was sorry for what she did. June wanted to think that Jasper died knowing that she regretted it all, knowing that her heart was broken like his, knowing that she hated herself for breaking his heart and her stupid fucking mistake. She so desperately wanted to believe that he died knowing that she was sorry, even if he couldn't forgive her. She wanted to believe it so badly, so damn badly, she wanted to believe that he had died knowing that June would have gladly taken his place.

She couldn't say it.

She couldn't believe it.

And it was all her fault.

June was the one that didn't apologize. June was th-the one that obsessively shut everyone out because she was too scared to face her mistake. June, June, _JUNE_ was the one that drowned her sorrows in fucking al- _alcohol_ just to not have to face them. June, June, _JUNE_ was the coward. June, June, _JUNE_ was the coward who fought with a bow and arrow and didn't even try to save his life. June, June, _JUNE_ was the one that took the backpack and ran without apologizing. Even as he was d-d- _dying_ , she still didn't have the balls to apologize.

She couldn't run away from this. She couldn't just drink her way out. She couldn't keep denying that he was dead. She _saw_ his face in the sky. She _saw_ his goddamn _corpse_ , just lying there on the motherfucking ground and _not getting UP!_ She watched him take his f-final breath for the love of _God!_

And his last action had been to throw the backpack to _her_. Even in his last moments Jasper was saving _her_ , and looking out for _her!_

"June…" Kaelys said, sternly, but June didn't want to hear it. June got it, Kaelys had lost Ashlyn. And yeah, it hurt, maybe that was true. But Kaelys didn't leave anything unsaid. Ollie didn't leave _anything_ unsaid. They would never know this feeling. They would never know the other side of June's grief. They had never done anything to hurt the one they loved like June had. They hadn't done _anything_ to lose the person they love. They hadn't ruined a three-year relationship like she had so they would never fucking _KNOW_! They would never _UNDERSTAND!_

"You _KNEW_!" June yelled through sobs. "You _KNEW_! You _KNEW_ I-" gasp- "You _KNEW_ I don't deserve this!" She hugs the backpack close to her, squeezing it tightly through sobs and gasps.

"June, quiet the hell down," Kaelys hissed. "You never know what other tributes might be around.'

"You _KNEW_ I don't deserve this stupid thing!" she shouted, not listening. She didn't give a shit about them at this point. She was ready to fight anyone. "You _KNEW_ I don't deserve this and y-you KNEW I didn't deserve to run away like a coward with my fu-cking _LIFE!"_

"June-"

Ollie sounds truly pained, but when he tries to come near me I push him backwards. I don't care about his watery eyes.

"We b-both know _SHOULD'VE HAPPENED!"_

"Stop yelling!" Kaelys says.

"I-I SHOULD BE _DEAD!"_ June yelled through a sob, squeezing her eyes shut as tears were forced out of them. She couldn't think about anything but Jasper. She _watched him die_. She had to s-sit there and watch him… Watch h-him _die_! She shut out her allies' protests. She didn't want to hear them. She was hurting and she knew that she should be dead and he should be alive and it wasn't fair to him that she made him play this stupid act again just to live and she never had his best interests in mind when he always had hers, even with his last dying breath, which was such fucking _BULLSHIT_!

"I'm SORRY!" she yelled, squeezing the backpack. "I never fu-fucking TOLD you!" she hunched over the backpack, still sobbing quietly. "A-All I did was w-atch you _die_!" Visions of his bloody corpse came back to June, who wanted nothing more but for them to go away. She didn't want to see it again! She didn't _want_ to l-live it again! And yet she knew she would never stop living it, for however much longer her sorry ass might life.

"June," Ollie said through tears, but June didn't want to listen.

"He was H- _HURT!"_ she yelled. "AND HE STILL PUT ME FIRST!" June sobbed and gasped uncontrollably. "I could search m-my whole fucking God-forsaken _life_ and I wouldn't find a-another Jasper! And I let him g-go! I l-let him _DIE!"_ June took handfuls of the backpack, resisting the urge to punch something, or worse! It was all her fault! Everything was her fault! Everyone in District Nine would fucking h- _hate_ her, a-and for good reason!

"Well yelling about it like a toddler isn't going to bring him _back_!" Kaelys yelled, grabbing June's arm and pulling it so that the girl from Nine was facing both of her allies.

Tears were trailing down Ollie's face, but he was trying to hold them back.

June stared at her allies, full of rage. How dare Kaelys f-fucking _grab_ her like that! How _dare_ they!

Slowly, though, the words sunk in. And June knew they were right. Jasper was gone. Jasper was gone and nothing June did was going to bring him back. Nothing June did was going to make him know how-how shitty she felt about this entire thing. He would never know how sorry she was about what happened. And he would never know how badly she wanted to take his place.

June's eyes still leaked tears. Her nose was still leaking snot she was wiping on her sleeves. But she knew that nothing would change what happened. She couldn't travel back in time. She couldn't change things. She was alone. She was officially fighting alone.

"I should be dead," June croaked. "I-I know I should. All m-my life I've been running. Run, run, run June run June, away from your problems." She reached up to wipe her eyes, but the tears just wouldn't stop. She knew that she had been running. She knew that she had been hiding. She knew that it would catch up to her. "Running doesn't fix _anything_. I couldn't swallow my pride and he just died. And now he's gone." She sobbed quietly into her hands, not wanting to look at her allies. She hated that they saw her like this. She hated that the nation saw her like this. "So I think I owe it to him to tell Panem the truth."

"Wh… What truth?" Ollie asked, wiping his eyes. "You did everything you could to fight them off."

"No, it's not about that!" June wiped her eyes. Was she about to do this? Yes. Jasper deserved it.

"June, what are you going on about?"

"I'm not… I'm not who you think I am!" she said through a sob. Her allies didn't say a word. There was a moment of terrible silence during which June's heart pounded in her chest. She took a deep breath. It was time to face the consequences.

"I'm…" June swallows more tears. "I'm a _cheater_!" Tears rolled down her cheeks and poured out of her eyes. "It _wasn't_ a benevolent break-up. It was all my fault. It was because I cheated on… th-the love of my life. I cheated on him when I was drunk, with another g-girl I barely even knew. I-It was _my_ fault!" her entire body trembled. "Th-The only reason he didn't ex-pose me was because…" June wiped her eyes, but more tears flowed out and covered her hands. "He was just too kind."

Her allies were speechless. June let out another sob, burying her face in her hands again. She couldn't stand to look at them. She couldn't stand to look at any of them in the eyes. "I deserved it, though. I deserved the whole nation to know I-I'm a cheater." She sobbed into her hands. "He was too selfless," she said, sniffling. "P-rentice and Vale told us w-we should act it." She couldn't stop crying, but for once, she decided not to fight it. "It… I-It was breaking his _heart_." Her voice wobbled, but June didn't try to hold it back. "He didn't want to." She couldn't look up, whispering weakly, "I-I don't blame him. We were in _love_. Three y-years of it. And I totally r-ruined his trust. And I will never forgive myself for that." June let out another quiet sob, still hugging the backpack close to her. "B-But he did it. We acted it. F-For sponsors. But the truth is that I-I never stopped loving him! And… I don't… I don't know if I e-ever will."

Ollie moved to comfort her but June curled out of his touch. "I don't deserve pity or comfort. I- I never deserved his love. I deserve to be exposed. Exposed for who I really am. A girl that ruined herself. A girl that lost her happily ever after." Quiet tears rolled slowly down her cheek and dripped to the floor. "I never told him I was sorry. I c-couldn't… Swallow my pride. I was selfish. H-He loved me anyways. And lost his chance so that the rest of us could escape." June sobbed quietly. "He deserved… _So much better._ He lied so that I wouldn't face scorn. But I'm tired of lying. I did it. I lost it all. I deserve to face the consequences of my stupid young selfishness." June sniffled a little bit. "I wish it didn't take losing him to realize that."

The others were silent. June was almost afraid at how they would react. Would Kaelys hate her for what she did? Would Ollie turn her back on her? June would be alone. And that was how she deserved to be. She had thrown it all away.

Ollie was the first to speak. "That was so brave," he murmured.

"I should have been brave months ago. I should have told him I'm so sorry. I should have taken his place."

"It's too late for that," said Kaelys.

"I think he knew," Ollie said quietly. "I think he knew you were sorry."

"I didn't tell him," June sniffled. "How could he know if I didn't tell him!?"

"He knew you. I think he knew. I think he wanted to work it out."

He was only trying to cheer her up, and June knew it. "Thanks, but don't lie to me. I know him. I know how much it hurt him. I don't deserve anyone like him."

"You can still turn it around," Ollie sniffled. "It's not too late."

"What?"

"You were brave enough to tell the truth, after all," he offered, smiling slightly at her even though she could tell how much it hurt him.

"He gave you a second chance," Kaelys said. "I think that's the ultimate forgiveness."

June felt more tears come to her eyes, but these ones weren't all tears of pain and grief. They were tears of thankfulness, and, in some weird way, joy. "You're right," she said quietly. "Even if I didn't deserve it. He gave it to me and I'm not going to waste it."

"That's the spirit," Ollie said, smiling. June reached up and wiped her eyes. She felt like a completely different person somehow, now that she let go of her lies. And that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Let's eat some breakfast and then make a game plan," Kaelys said. She tossed June their towel, which the Nine girl used to blow her nose. Water tasted so sweet, and the food was energizing. June felt a new drive in her. She had to win now, not just for herself, but also for Jasper. Losing was not an option.

As soon as June swallowed her last sip of water, the loudspeaker crackled on.

"Good morning tributes. This is your Head Gamemaker speaking."

June's heart started to pump harder in her chest. It was time.

"I hope you've been enjoying your voyage so far on the S. S. Quinn. It has been a pleasure hosting you."

"It's too early for a feast, isn't it?" Kaelys breathed.

"There are twelve," Ollie murmured.

June didn't say anything. She couldn't afford to.

"I am here to inform you that we anticipate reaching our destination… earlier than scheduled." He gave a chuckle that sounded hollow to June.

"Destination?" Kaelys murmured. June knew what was about to happen. She reached slowly into her backpack.

"That's right. Your Arena experience is far from over. Now that we are down to half, the real fun can begin." Kaelys and Ollie exchanged looks with June. "We are close to arrival at your island destination! And you will find that getting there faster is better. On the island, you will find perhaps the best treasure we have to offer."

June clenched her fists. Treasure that she would never use. Treasure that she'd lost the opportunity to benefit from.

"When you arrive, you'll find the red string of fate. Possess this, and you have the power to tie your fate to another tribute in the Arena. If one dies, the other will die immediately. However… If the last two alive are tied… There will hereby by two Victors of the Fifth Quarter Quell."

The news takes a while to sink in for the other two, who both seem to realize what they lost at the same time.

"There is only one string. And it is, of course, first-come, first-serve, so be hasty. We hope you've enjoyed your time on the S.S. Quinn. May the odds be ever in your favor."

As soon as the last syllable comes out of the Head Gamemaker's mouth, the ship jolts.

"We hit land!" Ollie shouts. "Let's go!" _It was happening. It was really happening. Prentice was right. Prentice was right and it's really happening._

June pulled the cord that inflated the small orange lifeboat that she and Jasper had risked their lives to get. The boat Jasper had given June with his last dying motion.

"No," she said.

Ollie and Kaelys's eyes were wide. "What?" Ollie yelled. As soon as he finished his sentence, loud, ear-piercing alarms started to blare, voices giving instructions about where to find exits and lifeboats, sirens wailing, as tables started to tip and glassware fell off of tables, shattering into pieces.

"We didn't hit land! We hit an iceberg!"

Ollie and Kaelys paled at that statement, knowing full well the next statement that was going to come out of June's mouth, and that her lifeboat couldn't possibly hold three grown tributes.

"It was the plan all along," she said, darkly quiet with a quivering voice. "We're sinking."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: ALL IS REVEALED! Big thanks to Legend for helping me tie all my ideas together into a cohesive Arena! The fun has really only just begun, it's gonna get far more intense from here. I've been waiting for SO LONG to kick this plan into action and now I can't believe it's here! Buckle up everyone, shit's about to go down!**_

 _ **Note: If you want to sponsor a tribute with a one-person lifeboat, you can, but they cost 1,000 points a piece so you'll have to find another author or two to collab with you to have enough points (I don't want EVERY TRIBUTE getting one, lol. Takes the suspense out of it!) If you want a two-person lifeboat, it will cost 1500. There ARE provided lifeboats in the Arena, tributes just may have to fight to get them.**_

 _ **Thank you all for your great support and I hope you don't hate me too much for the cliffhanger! :)**_

 _ **Chapter Question: How do you like my little twist? Any predictions for what shit's gonna go down?**_

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 _ **See you all next chapter! Thank you for the reviews and support!**_


	38. Day 5 II: Sinking

_The fifth day_

* * *

-Ollie Kirk, 17, District 11-

"We're sinking." June's eyes held a pain in them Ollie hadn't seen before. She was hurting. All of them knew that there was no way she was going to be able to save either of them, not with that tiny little boat. All three of them knew that the boat was what Jasper had given to her before he died.

 _How could she have possibly known?_ As soon as Ollie thought the question he remembered Chervil mentioning that there was some kind of scandal among the mentors…

Before he could gather his thoughts, June tore past him, running out of the dining room as fast as her legs could take her as the ship rocked to the side. Ollie found himself almost losing his balance. Tables were starting to tip over, and glassware was shattering. Ollie knew that he had to do something quick. The announcements that were blaring in their ears said that lifeboats were on the top deck.

"Ollie!" Luckily, before he could start to panic too much, Kaelys snapped him out of his thoughts. "Let's go. We don't have much time." Ollie had a hard time computing her words. His heart was pounding and his mind was going a million miles a minute, knowing that all the tributes would certainly be in the same place…

Before he could move to follow his ally, the floor in front of his feet suddenly up, revealing inside it a silver container. _Could this be?_

As quickly as he could, he opened the container. When he saw the folded up orange object inside, his heart only beat faster. His hands were shaking, partly with fear and partly with adrenaline as he pocketed the note included on top and took the square out of the container. He knew he would have to read the note later. There was no time, _there was no time there was no time._

While Ollie had received his gift, Kaelys had been carefully scaling the room, holding the wall for balance as the ship rocked back and forth, and when he looked up she was at the door to the stairs, ready to dash for the top floor. Kaelys turned back, and when she saw Ollie with the boat her eyes widened. Time seemed to slow as they made eye-contact, and Ollie's mind screamed at him to run. He couldn't make himself move, he was frozen.

He was about to apologize, or try to share it, when he saw Kaelys pull a knife out of her belt. When the boat rocked again, Kaelys lunged at him. Ollie's body took a second to move, but once he got it going he ran, ran as fast as he possibly could with an unstable ground beneath his feet. He couldn't help but wonder why the sponsors had chosen him to save, but he couldn't take too much time on that now.

With a yell, Kaelys threw a glass pitcher at Ollie's back, which shattered in a painful explosion. Both of them were thrown to the side when the boat rocked, but Ollie refused to let any of that stop him. He continued to run until he saw the door of one of the bedrooms already open, probably where June was. She had a plan, and Ollie was only hoping he could somehow benefit from it, because he had too many options to know what to do. He entered the room, Rapidly, he pulled the cord and held on tight as the little boat filled with air, showing the navy blue 11 proudly.

When Ollie entered the room, June was still there, a look of frustration appearing to be plastered on her face. She didn't even look before charging at the giant bedroom window. The window, which had been cracked already (possibly from previous attempts at getting out), burst open. Water started pouring into the room. June grabbed her lifeboat, took a deep breath, and jumped out of the hole in the window. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Ollie couldn't help wondering if that was safe, but now, like June, he only had one choice.

Ollie could hear Kaelys's footsteps, and knew that to avoid a fight with her he was going to have to think fast. He didn't want to kill her, and using a weapon would risk putting a hole in his boat. He tried to get the courage to run at it, but before he could he heard her burst into the room. Ollie's body acted on its own from there.

The boy from District Eleven dropped the boat in a flash. Kaelys was charging at him fast, and before Ollie knew what he was doing, he picked up a lamp from the dresser and swung it as hard as he could at Kaelys's head. By some miracle, the lamp hit its target, and Kaelys immediately crumpled to the floor, out cold.

She wasn't dead. Ollie saw her chest rising and falling still. Her head was bleeding, but she would wake up. Ollie's hands shook as he picked up the boat, stepping carefully into the broken glass towards the water that was still pouring in through the window. By now, it was getting to the point where Kaelys's head would be covered.

 _She'll wake up_ , Ollie thought. _I didn't kill her._ He still felt like he had, though. His hands were still shaking, but as the room suddenly jolted and rocked again, he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

He took one more shaking breath and picked up his boat, holding on as tightly as he possibly could. He took a deep breath and held it, running towards the window at full speed and jumping through, into the deep blue ocean.

Ollie continued to hold onto his boat as it slowly raised to the surface, him still inside it. He gasped for breath as his head broke the water's surface. He clutched the side of his boat for dear life, his entire body shaking and quivering.

He was alive. For now.

But he also knew that the worst was yet to come.

.

-Becquerel Pierre, 17, District 3-

As soon as the boat jolted, Bec knew this was his only chance. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to get out of this alive, but he knew that he'd far rather be dead than be a slave to Ester and Attila any longer. He had gotten his revenge for Dyna's death, and after spending so long around these sick sadistic fucks, he was ready to start playing the game on his own.

The alarms started to blare, and that was when Bec ran.

He wasn't really sure why he ran. He honestly wondered if he was running towards his grave at the bottom of the ocean, but he knew this was his only chance to bullshit his way out of this. After all, he knew that Attila acted without thinking. Maybe Attila would self-destruct and kill him. Bec wouldn't be surprised if that was a risk he was willing to take. The nice thing was that neither of the murderous lovebirds had a distance weapon. If they wanted him dead, they'd have to come get him. Which was the entire basis of his plan.

Bec wasn't running towards the stairs. The calm woman's voice that was giving instructions said that the lifeboats were on the top floor, which was one flight up from where the three of them were. Bec wasn't running towards the staircase. He was running away from it.

He knew that Ester knew that pursuing him wouldn't be in their best interest. He knew that Ester and Attila were going to want to be the first to that island to get the string before anyone else. And Bec was sure the competition for it was hot, especially considering that Chance and Nerio were both still alive and kicking. If they wanted to avoid sinking and get that string while they could, they needed to get going. And if they did dare come for him, Bec was going to give them a chase. If he could just take long enough that they can't afford to be there any longer… They couldn't waste their time chasing a boy who was already as good as dead, right?

"Get back here!" Attila yelled, but he was cut off by Ester. Bec didn't stop to watch or listen for what was happening. He ran from the fitness center past the huge pool towards the spa. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing, but they didn't pursue him. Bec took a minute to breathe as the room started to tilt, causing pool water to start pouring out on the ground.

He grinned when he saw that it was empty. Attila and Ester had other priorities than killing the boy they thought was just going to die anyways. They _had_ to get that string. It was all strategy.

Honestly, Bec didn't care if they did or not. Either way both of them would have to die if he wanted to make it home. Although, if their fates were tied together, Ester was the obvious target. Taking her out meant taking out the strongest person in the Arena. Maybe it would be an advantage to everyone. Bec waited carefully, until he was sure the two of them were gone. Then, he carefully snuck back to the fitness room.

Bec hit the button on the lift, but as he expected, it didn't work. He slipped into the darkness of the staircase, right behind Chance and Nerio. Bec was careful to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. There was no way he wanted anyone to know where he was, especially not either of the killer pairs. Although he was sure they probably had better priorities right now than killing Bec. He just couldn't be too careful.

Bec stayed behind in the staircase for a minute, waiting for the threats to clear. Surprisingly, the top floor was empty. As soon as Cherio got a boat for themselves, Bec could sneak in, get his own, and ride it out. Chance and Nerio immediately went for a boat, and Bec just watched them. Chance glanced behind him, but luckily for Bec, Nerio pointed out the first lifeboat on the water, and they quickly descended. Bec couldn't help how lucky he felt. He remained careful as he slipped out from the stairwell.

Before Bec could get a boat, though, he heard the voices of two very deadly and familiar tributes. He barely had time to think before they appeared. He hurriedly ran towards one of the large pink waterslides that was still hanging sturdily above the pool. He knew he could just wait until they were both away before he could get his.

"We got the last two," Wicke breathed, quickly getting into one of the final remaining single boats. Bec's heart pounded as he realized what this meant. If they both took the last ones, Bec would be trapped. He'd lose his shot. And he couldn't have that. Before he could think it through, he quickly took off, charging at the girl from District Two before she could get on her boat.

Wicke, by now, was already being lowered into the water by a mechanism on the side of the boat, and she had to choose whether or not she was going to risk her secure spot on a boat to help Dania. Unsurprisingly, and luckily for Bec, Wicke didn't intervene. This left Bec with an open window. It was his last chance for life, after all. His last chance for a boat. If he didn't get one, he had no idea what would happen. The boat shook again, pool water spilling out and causing both Dania and Bec to lose balance as water from the pool splashed on their feet.

Dania growled and charged at the boy from Three, who had nothing but two bags of food in his pockets. Direct fighting wasn't really his style, and he'd been hoping to keep a low profile through the Games as much as possible. That wasn't really working out right now. Bec dodged as best as he could, but Dania knew how to control her weapons. By the time Bec actually had a strategy, he was already bleeding from numerous places.

Dania's attacks were vicious, and as much as Bec tried to dodge them, he couldn't keep up with a trained Career. He just had to earn some time, some time to see how he could possibly outsmart her.

Luckily, the Arena did the work for him. The ship was sent to the side, and a flood of pool water sent the tributes toppling over. The boat rocked and tipped again, and Bec acted before thinking. While Dania was still recovering, Bec picked her up and, taking advantage of the angle given by the tipping boat, swiftly dropped her over the railing. Dania, screaming, flailed for just a minute before hitting the water.

Bec, heart pounding, ran over to the last boat and got in. He wasn't lowered too much before he could feel the lifeboat hit the water.

Bec's heart pounded when he saw the small tribute from Two swimming his direction, knife raised. There was no way he was going to be able to paddle this boat faster than she could swim. He grabbed a paddle that was provided and braced himself to use it. Before he had to, though, she screamed at the top of her lungs. With wide eyes, Bec saw three shark-looking creatures. The only thing that set them apart from sharks was their fins, which looked razor sharp. Dania yelled and flailed her arms, stabbing into the water with all her might. The sharks were too much for her, and one of them gripped her arm with its teeth.

Dania screamed some more and tried to fight them, but the water around her was turning an ugly crimson. Bec couldn't stand to watch, and quickly pedaled away from there as fast as humanly possible, trying to ignore the sounds of her screams in the distance.

He didn't know for sure where he was going, but that didn't matter now.

All that mattered was getting away, far far away from the haunting screams, far away from the people that were out for his blood, and far, far away from the pool of blood left in the wake of the dead.

.

-Syca Gallen, 15, District 7-

Syca felt absolutely lost. He had no idea what to do now. He had to get up to the top floor, first off. He supposed that should be his first priority. He was still aching and could barely find the energy to move, but now he knew that he had no choice.

Syca collected what little he had, including his hatchet, and silently prayed that he didn't have to use it within the next moments.

Just before he was going to start out of the room, the floor in front of him started to open up. Whimpering, Syca backed away. Was the boat already faltering? Was this going to be how he died?! Surely it couldn't… He couldn't lose his chance like that…

Just then, he realized what it was. Inside the floor was a small silver container. How… Had Ani and Kendal actually done it!? Syca threw the lid off and staring back at him was even more valuable than gold. This was it. This was his chance.

Syca gave a small, happy laugh and looked around the room, towards where he thought a camera might be. "Anakyn, you are truly magic." He couldn't help but glance at the note.

 _To Syca and Riggs_

 _Use it wisely. Help each other out, dudes. You're not out of this yet. Still believing in you._

Syca couldn't help but notice the trademark smiley face that always went along with the autograph of his idol. Hands shaking, he pocketed the note. He wanted to hold onto it for the rest of time.

Alarms blared and eerie red and blue lights flashed all around Syca as he took the boat and his things and started to move. He had been through so much here, he wasn't going to give up now. That was the last thing he wanted.

 _Keep breathing,_ Syca reminded himself, as he walked. He knew that if he didn't, he would probably black out, which was the last thing he needed. He knew he was moving slowly, but he had to ration out his energy and keep from blowing himself out before he made it to freedom. Not to mention he had absolutely no idea where Riggs was. Would he know to meet Syca up on the top floor? Had he gotten a note with instructions?

Syca just kept going, even if just thinking about climbing those stairs made his body ache. He had a boat, after all. He had security of survival. He had to move. He couldn't stop moving, he couldn't stop going. To stop moving would be to put Daria's memory to shame. Persei's. Ashlyn's, now, too. Syca wanted to win for them. He wanted to win for his family, too. His sister, waiting at home, and his parents. He wanted to win for Ani, and Kendal, and Wolf, too, all of whom were waiting for him back home. And his Capitolite secret admirer, of course. Her too. He had wanted to win for all of them since the very beginning. For the ones whose lives were lost, and for the ones who he loved.

But now Syca wanted to win for himself, too. And knowing that was empowering. Sure, Syca knew that he couldn't let down the other people he loved, the people who had lost their lives… But he also knew that he couldn't let himself down. He didn't want to let himself down. That was important to him now. It hadn't been before, but now it was. It wasn't fair to Syca for to give up. And Syca was determined to stop being unfair to himself. Would it be easy? Hell no. But would it be worth it? Well, it already was.

No matter what, Syca wasn't going to give up. He was determined. So what if he was the youngest tribute in the Arena? It had been done before. So what if he was injured? He wasn't going to let it stop him. He had to be realistic about his weakness, but he also had to keep fighting through it.

As hard as it was to keep going with each step, Syca did it. He knew that he had to.

The boat tipped and rocked. Syca was thrown to the side on a particularly severe jolt. It took every ounce of determination in his body to get back up on his feet. A few steps later, the boat rocked the other way, almost sending Syca into the pool. His body shook as he used the wall for support, but he knew he had to keep moving. He had to get up there and hope that Riggs would follow.

Slowly but surely, Syca made it to the staircase. The room rocked and shook, and suddenly Syca felt the bottom of his shoes becoming wet. The boat was sinking, with him in it. The first two floors were already under water. He knew that a lifeboat wouldn't save him if he was trapped in the boat with no way out. Syca took a second to breathe, still shaking, before he started up the stairs, as fast as he could. Each second that went by, the boat sunk faster, but he couldn't let it stop him. Syca fought through the pain on his way up the stairs.

He reached the top floor just in time. When he got up there, he saw the District Six boy grabbing a railing. Syca's heart flew, filled with relief and joy that he was here.

"Riggs!" he called. The boy's eyes drilled into him. His face was wet, and Syca couldn't tell if it was pool water or tears.

"It's TOO LATE!" he yelled. "They're GONE! We're just going to DIE HERE!"

"No! We're not!" Syca yelled back, hurrying over as fast as he could possibly go, feet wet from the floor being under water and pulling the cord that inflated the boat. Riggs jolted for a second, but drew back.

"You're lucky," he muttered. Syca's heart melted. He knew that Riggs wasn't a bad guy. He was going to let Syca go with what he had. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Look!" Syca said, showing him the two blue numbers on the bottom. Riggs's eyes widened and his laugh boomed so loud Syca could hear it clearly over the wind.

"For us?!"

"For us!" Syca said. "Unless you'd rather sink!"

"Oh, hell no! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Before Syca's shins hit the water, he quickly climbed in the boat with Riggs, paddling away as quickly as they could as the S.S. Quinn was devoured by the darkness of the sea.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! Glad to be back and updating!**_

 _ **So yeah, this chapter was a lot shorter than the previous ones, but I wanted to split up the action over the course of a few chapters so I hope you all don't mind the shorter POVs. I wanted to have four in this chapter but thought that three was the most logical way to go.**_

 _ **I'm going to hold off on eulogies for now because we're not done with them yet. There's still plenty more action to be had.**_

 _ **Hope this was a good enough chapter that was intense and worth the wait! As always, reviews are appreciated!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Who do you think will reach the island first? Are you surprised at the turnout of the chapter? Who do you hope takes the string?**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

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 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **See you all (hopefully) soon for the next update!**_


	39. Night 5, Day 6: Out of Necessity

_The fifth night_

* * *

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs didn't know where he was going, but he was in charge of not only himself, but another person. He wasn't mad about it, though. When he thought he'd lost his chance, he didn't know what he'd do. He was prepared to swim, if that was what it took. He would have done anything to keep going. He didn't want to lose his chance. He had too much riding on this.

He wasn't sure why anyone chose to sponsor him and the Seven boy together, but at this point it didn't matter. Maybe it was just because Syca was too weak to row and needed a meat shield. Either way, it meant Riggs got a boat, and that was what mattered.

Syca looked so small, curled up in the lifeboat as Riggs rowed rhythmically. He was tired, but he kept going. Riggs hadn't gotten to ask what happened to him before he passed out, but there would probably be plenty of time for that considering they were stranded in the middle of the ocean. At least they hadn't run into any other boats. Riggs hadn't even seen any. Then again, the night was young.

Riggs didn't wake him for the anthem. He just seemed peaceful. His round face was smushed as he breathed quietly, calmly. In a way, Riggs saw Joule in his new ally. Maybe it was just an allies thing, or maybe it was the long reddish hair, or… Riggs wasn't sure. He wanted to help the kid out, though. Maybe that was why they sponsored the two of them together. It was still above Riggs.

Riggs was shocked when Dania's face appeared in the sky first. He couldn't help but be a bit relieved, though. One less deadly threat to him. The second face was just as shocking. Kaelys Deinard, District Three. Riggs couldn't say it was a bad thing for the two of them. Kaelys knew how to fight and without Ashlyn there was nothing to stop her.

Except apparently the sinking ship. Riggs had to wonder how it happened. He'd rather think about that than about anything else. If he thought too much, he was doomed. As he'd already proven to the nation.

Riggs shook the thoughts away before twisting his back to stretch out his shoulders. They were lucky that the boat came with some expandable oars or else they'd have been truly stranded.

Riggs wasn't sure how long he'd been rowing when Syca stirred. He was exhausted, but he didn't want to sleep for fear of nightmares, or drifting away. He didn't want to let Syca down.

"Mmmm," Syca groaned, stretching out as much as he could in the boat. Riggs imagined the boy was in pain.

"You can go back to sleep."

"I don't think I want to," Syca said quietly.

Riggs frowned. Here was a fifteen boy that couldn't stand to sleep because of the Games. Sure, it was fun when they were just partying. Back then, it wasn't really serious. Nobody wanted to realize what was going to happen. They were all in for a horrible surprise. Now, Riggs felt like he was in a never-ending nightmare. Wishing desperately that he could wake up in his own bed, safe and sound.

The only good thing he had was Gian. And he wasn't even sure he had that. Maybe he was just being too hopeful, just like always. Maybe Gian was already shutting him out, and Riggs would get back to the same situation he left behind. But with so many more terrible memories.

"Do you want me to row?"

"No," Riggs said quickly, getting a jar of peanut butter out of his backpack and unscrewing the lid. "Here, eat this."

"Riggs, I have food-"

"Just take it. Please."

Syca sighed, but took the jar and ate. The boys sat in the boat in silence. Riggs's arms hurt too much to row anymore. Defeated, he put the oars back in the boat, vowing to only take a short rest. It wasn't until then that Riggs had thought to look at the sky. It was brilliant. Clear as day, the darkness perfectly contrasted by perfectly-scattered stars and a huge, glowing, yellow moon. It shimmered off the water. Riggs noticed the breeze, light and soft against his face, and inhaled the air.

Riggs felt horrible for thinking that. He hated that an Arena, a place of death and pain, could be so breath-takingly beautiful.

"Look over there," Said, pointing over in the distance. Riggs turned to look, and when he did his breath was taken away. Stars were shooting across the sky in beautiful bursts of light.

The first star to shoot across the sky left behind it a beautiful tail of pink, yellow, and blue light. Soon, another star, painting a trail behind of yellow, red, and blue. The star that followed carried a trail of brown and tan light. Another star caught Riggs's eye that was electric blue and yellow. The stars seemed to dance all around the sky above. Two more appeared, seeming to chase each other. The one in front left a streak of light pink and red, and the one chasing it made the sky purple and red.

"It's Daria," Syca said quietly, voice shaking.

"What?" Riggs asked, but Syca didn't say anything else.

The next star left behind it a trail of green and sparkling silver. Syca sniffled quietly, but Riggs didn't want to push him.

The next star made the sky burst with fire. The star that wove through the flames was bright yellow streaked with sparkling silver. Riggs knew those colors… He was starting to piece together what was happening.

The next star left a trail of darkness colors with sparkles. The star streaked across the moon, leaving a shadow in its trail. The next star went up and down and all around, leaving blue and teal waves in its wake.

The next star left a tail of orange and gold behind it, going in circles and doing loops all around like a rocket. Two more stars appeared. The first was brilliant, soaring across the sky and leaving a trail of rainbow in its path. The final star left a path of glorious, metallic silver before disappearing. It was one of the most beautiful things Riggs had ever seen in his life… But it had to be here. Each of those stars represented a lost life. And that would never be beautiful. How could something so beautiful happen in such an ugly, terrible place?

Syca was speechless. The two boys sat on the boat together in silence. What can a person say after something like that?

Syca spoke up first. "I killed her."

"You… Who?" Riggs looked over at the other boy, whose face was shrouded in darkness as he hung his head under the soft, pale light of the moon. His dirty, stringy, auburn hair hung down. It looked like it hadn't been adjusted or touched since the first day, which it probably hadn't. For once, Riggs's attention was focused intensely on his new ally. What was this fifteen-year-old boy capable of?

Syca's voice was quiet and wispy when he said her name. So quiet that Riggs didn't get it the first time and had to make him repeat it. "Ashlyn."

Riggs was stunned. He was about to ask how someone like Syca managed that, but when the boy looked up at him with teary gray eyes, he swallowed his question, continuing to row and looking up at the sky again. That certainly explained why he was so worse for wear.

There was some more silence for a while. The breeze blew Riggs's hair as he looked from the shimmering water to the starry sky to his exhausted ally. Syca didn't go back to sleep, he just stayed awake, and totally silent. He occasionally looked up from the ground, but rarely.

Riggs looked back over when Syca shuffled, squinting curiously as the boy from Seven reached into his pocket. "I almost forgot about this," he said quietly, holding the letter out to Riggs. "Let me row for a bit."

"Um, alright," Riggs said, scratching the back of his head curiously and taking the paper.

"I, um… I read it. I hope you don't mind."

"Why would I…?" Riggs glanced down at the handwriting on the paper and noticed that only his name was written at the top. "What…?"

"I noticed it as we were escaping. The front is a note for both of us, but the back…"

"For me." Sure, there was a short note for Syca at the bottom from Anakyn, but Riggs didn't care. He so desperately wanted the letter to say what his heart needed to hear.

 _Riggs-_

 _Don't stop fighting. Please don't stop fighting. I hate to say I need you back, but I can't help but feel that way. This is what I was trying to avoid, but it was pointless. I was dumb to think that I could escape this feeling. I put both of us through too much pain and pining._

 _But I'm tired of both of us apologizing for this so much. The sorry ends here. Now I'm going to unapologetically fight for you to get home. And you have to do the same. Promise me, okay?_

 _I really like you. And I'm not sorry for it. Come back to your friends and family._

 _-Gian_

Riggs read the letter once, twice, three times, four times, so many times he didn't even notice Syca leaning towards him and asking if he was alright. His heart was pounding in his chest and his eyes were filling with tears. He had absolutely no idea what to say.

He folded the letter gingerly, hands shaking. His fist wrapped around the letter, Gian's words flying around in his head. "I promise," he whispered. Those were the only words he could think to say. Of course there was so much he was feeling, but he couldn't put the feelings into words.

"Can I keep this?" he asked quietly. Syca just nodded, still rowing them forward. There was some more silence, as Riggs leaned into the boat and looked quietly up at the sky. The movement was calming, the breeze was just right, and before Riggs knew it, he closed his eyes and let the peaceful blackness of sleep engulf him.

.

-Attila of the Windy Plains, 18, District 10-

He didn't regret going into the Games. He didn't regret volunteering. How could he? This was a chance to get District Ten to the same level as the other Career Districts. This was his time to prove that he was destined for greatness. This was his chance to show the world what he was made out of.

And, most importantly, regrets had no place in the life of a person like Attila.

They never did and they never would. There was never anything to regret, after all. Regretting would mean that he'd have done something wrong, something out of line. And that would simply not do.

He took lives. The blood of children was on his hands, but he couldn't regret that now. He was doing what he had to, and he didn't understand why the others couldn't wrap their heads around that concept. Over half the tributes were dead and it wasn't enough. And if nobody else was going to do the dirty work, he would do it. He volunteered for it, after all. He was the one that put himself in his position, and instead of being regretful about the past or worried about the future, he knew he just had to suck it up and go with it. There was no such thing as a regret in his heart, there couldn't afford to be. Attila was known for taking everything in stride, after all. Nothing got through his thick head, much less his steel heart. That was who he was. That was why he was here, after all, to prove that.

The clear night sky looked straight out of Attila's mind, his best imaginative picture during his meditation. He wasn't even sure if a brute like him could picture a vision as pretty as this. It was pretty to believe that this was the natural sky, the same sky he saw in District Ten, but it wasn't. The Capitol made it much more brilliant. Just like they did with most things. Attila was raised a loyalist and he would always remain that way. It was important to him, after all. It was part of the reason he was here.

Ester was sleeping, and Attila was rowing the boat. He was focused now on finding that string. He was sure that it was sent just for the two of them. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone stop him on the way to it. It was fate, and it was theirs for the taking. They were on the ocean before anyone else, as far as he could see.

He didn't regret not chasing the sewer rat from Three. Attila was honestly surprised that he hadn't seen the boy's face in the sky. But Bec wasn't a problem at all. He was just begging for his life, and he'd remain locked in the position of submission until he was picked off by one of the bigger dogs. And if he wasn't picked off early, then Attila and Ester would do the job when he came around again. Attila already had so much blood on his hands, and he was sure he and Ester would have more before he emerged victorious.

Ester still wasn't quite on his emotional level, but she was becoming stronger and better every day. Attila liked to think it was because of him. Soon she would be able to hold her own just like he could. He knew she was a smart girl, and that she'd eventually see that I was pointless to hold onto the past and the future so much. Attila hoped that by the time they were out of the Arena, she'd be able to let go of whatever was giving her little heart trouble. Sure, it was a lengthy process, that took a lot of time and work to build, but he was sure she was capable of it. She was cunning enough to be a natural.

Attila didn't understand why Ester liked to get so emotionally involved in the lives of others. Sure, it was good to know things about them, but at the same time it was nothing she needed to worry about. Even if she pretended to be an all-knowing outsider, she was still invested in drama that just sucked life out of her. She would be much more satisfied if she focused on Ester. After all, she had the potential to take the world in the palm of her hand.

Attila could see her being the first Victor President in Panem's history. She'd be great at that. Especially if she focuses on herself more than the petty doings of everyone else. Attila's hoping that she's starting to see that herself. He knew that she definitely wouldn't change unless she figured it out herself. That was just the stubborn person that she was. But he really didn't mind that about her. He just figured that her stubbornness could be used in much more productive ways if she got out of the world around her.

 _Two bodies sat together on the floor of the District Ten floor the morning before the Games was to begin. One was hulking, the other smaller, but both were in the same position._

" _Make sure you're comfortable now," he said, focusing on relieving the tension in his shoulders. His eyes flew open when he felt a warm weight push softly against his arm._

" _I'm comfortable right here, thanks," she said, laying her head back on his chest and grinning up at him._

" _This is about finding yourself," he said. He smiled a bit, picking up a lock of her hair in his fingers and moving it out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear._

" _Well I find myself in your arms," she said. Attila could feel his ears burn, but he didn't try to stop it. It was a good feeling. Still kind of frantic, certainly new, but not bad. "So open 'em up now."_

 _Suddenly Ester was plopped down in his lap, her back pressed against his front. Attila obediently wrapped his arms around her stomach, burying his face in her back. This wasn't how meditation was supposed to go, but he wasn't going to say that. He liked the feeling so he was going to let it continue._

 _Ester was certainly bold. She knew how to get what she wanted, and Attila respected that. He was sure that sometimes she said things without thinking about them much, and he liked that about her. He did the same thing. It was just more purely honest that way._

 _Attila liked wrapping his arms all the way around Ester's stomach and holding her close. She had a small, thin little stomach and when she put her hands on top of his, he couldn't help feeling like this was it. Sure, the party was fun. He didn't even have to think, he just knew what to do and moved how he wanted to. And she just got him. He didn't even have to do anything for her to get him. That was something he'd never experienced before. And she'd learned to stop asking so many questions, which was helpful._

" _We should start the meditation now," he said, "We need to eat before launch."_

" _Okay." She didn't move, though. "Let's start then." She lightly squeezed his hands._

" _I…" He hadn't ever meditated like this before, but he decided to go along with it anyways. After all, he was sure Ester wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Close your eyes." He did as he said, and so did she. "Take deep breaths now." Attila breathed in, and out, and Ester did the same. After a few breaths, the couple began to breathe at the same time._

" _Now… We focus on… Feeling," he said quietly. "Feeling your being, your beating heart, your lungs expanding and contracting."_

 _Ester giggled, breaking the flow. "Okay," she said._

 _Attila kept breathing deeply, and soon Ester was breathing with him. As the couple breathed together, as he felt her back press against his front, stomach inflating and pushing out his hands, Attila started to feel something different. For the first time, he wasn't only feeling himself. He was feeling the both of them. The both of their lungs, moving in synch. Both of their hearts beating, keeping them both alive. It wasn't just him anymore. It was the two of them, as one. They were together. Attila lost track of time holding her there, pressing his face into her shoulder, smelling her sweet floral laundry detergent, and knowing that it was Ester here, sharing this experience with him. He wanted to share more experiences with her._

 _It was a moment that was broken unceremoniously by Roxanne calling the two of them to eat. Ester was about to get up, but Attila wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her closer to him, causing her to make a squeaking noise in surprise._

" _Just one more minute," he murmured, and she relaxed into his arms._

" _Alright," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. The same smile was soon replicated on his own face._

 _It was hard to let her go, even if it was just to eat. It was hard to lose the familiar light weight of Ester and her close presence._

Attila was different because of Ester. Now he wasn't only looking out for himself. He was looking out for the two of them as one. They were one, and they were together, and that was exactly how they were going to win the Games.

The red string of fate would make two hearts one, and bring them both out to safety. If one heart stopped beating, the other would immediately. But, if they won, both of their hearts would beat together forever. That was how he felt already, without a string. The string would only make it official. It would be a means he had to express it. He saw no other option besides getting it.

Attila wasn't here to look out for the other tributes. He only served himself, and Ester, and those would be the only two he would serve for the rest of time. He would serve loyally and with all he had. There would be no regrets, and there would be no consequences.

They were one, string unbroken.

And so it would remain, as long as their hearts beat in time.

~.~.

* * *

 _The sixth day_

* * *

-Ollie Kirk, 17, District 11-

Ollie was awakened by the brightness of the sun in the sky symbolizing the coming of morning.

As soon as he saw the faces in the sky and the colorful stars, he'd crashed. He was just so exhausted, and the boat was surprisingly comfortable, and he had gone through so many emotions over the course of that day. His alliance was destroyed, and everything was different.

He was responsible for Kaelys being dead, and he knew it. Had she awakened before she drowned? Had she tried to save herself? Ollie found himself hoping that she'd awakened and been killed by someone else, but he was seriously doubting that was true. He knew he was just running from the reality that he would ever have blood on his hands. He never imagined he'd be the one that stole the life of someone else, but now he'd done it.

It really wasn't a delightful thing to think about first thing in the morning.

Sure, Ollie had those days sometimes, when he'd wake up sad, sometimes for no reason, and sometimes because his sister snapped or his mother was in the hospital again. But he had never felt anything like this. He was so tired last night that the reality hadn't had time to sink in. But now, now that he was somewhat refreshed, now that he was alone and the only thing he had to think about was what her last moments were like, it was all rushing back. He had most likely caused the death of someone else. And if that wasn't bad enough, it was someone he felt he was friends with. He, Kaelys, and June had bonded, he thought. They'd been through the toughest of times. He and June were there when Ashlyn's face was in the sky. They were there when Jasper fell. And Jacques. They were there when June opened up. Ollie considered them friends.

And now he knew that it was dumb thought for him to have. Of course they weren't friends. Kaelys didn't even stop to think that maybe the two of them both could have fit. She had been overtaken by desperation. But so had he. He couldn't blame her for what happened without being a big fat goddamn hypocrite.

 _It was her or me,_ he thought, rubbing his eyes and blinking from accidentally looking up into the sun. Maybe that was true. But maybe there was another option.

Ollie never thought he would see death with his own two eyes like this. First he had to watch Kaelys break down and grieve. He'd seen blood, and gore, and once-innocent people turned into murderers. And now he was one of those people.

Ollie's eyes filled with tears. He never meant for this to happen. He knew that he would be forgiven, by his mother, and sister, his friends, his uncles, by the Capitol. But he would never be forgiven by himself. He would never be forgiven by the people who loved Kaelys. He didn't know who those people were, but there had to be at least a few… Right? Even if she didn't know it, or think so…

It was a basically bloodless death. Or, at least, externally. But that didn't mean Ollie's heart wasn't bleeding. He was sorry. Sure, it would have been near impossible to get more than one person on this boat, but he could have at least tried. They could have made do. That was what he did best, after all.

Ollie had to change his thoughts. He tried to think about anything but the previous day. As his mind wandered, he suddenly remembered something that he had yet to look at. With his boat, he had received a rolled up scroll, probably a sponsor note from Chervil, and in the chaos hadn't gotten the time to read it. Ollie hoped that the paper hadn't been soaked and destroyed by the rushing water of his escape… Hesitantly he pulled it out of his backpack. Luckily, it didn't seem to have been wet at all. His backpack had done a good job protecting it, which also meant that hopefully his other supplies weren't waterlogged. And his token….

Ollie untied the black ribbon around the scroll and unrolled it. He was surprised to see such a long note with such neat handwriting, but upon reading it, realized it wasn't from his mentor at all.

 _Dear Oleander,_

Firstly, I'm sorry about Jacques. He was my little brother and I will grieve for him every day. I miss him a lot. Thank you for taking care of him and bringing him joy.

It would do you good to get the Red String of Fate. It seems awful that I'd bring it up so soon after Jacques's death, but please hear me out.

Having the Red String of Fate will help you become Victor without having to take a life. You can keep the String and hold on to it without using it. Remember, you have the power to tie your fate to another tribute, but whether or not you use it is up to you. What you can do is keep the String without using its power, and just focus on staying alive until the Final Two. When you are alone in the Arena with a single other tribute, you can then use the power of the Red String - tie your fate to the other finalist's, and you can both leave the Arena alive without either one having to hurt the other.

As you can see, this method will allow you to become Victor and preserve your life while minimizing the chance that you will have to kill.

Good luck, and thank you again for taking care of Jacques.

Sincerely,  
Sophie Noir

Upon reaching the signature, Ollie's eyes were already full of tears. He knew that he didn't deserve such kindness. He couldn't imagine Jacques's family sending him a boat. That must have cost an extravagant amount of money they didn't have… Surely there were other contributors…

Ollie's hands shook as he carefully rolled up the scroll and put it back in his backpack. That cold, creeping feeling he got when thinking about Jacques came back. It wasn't there all the time, but it came in the worst of times, a guilt that made it hard to breathe, hard to swallow.

When ollie put the scroll back in the backpack, his eye caught his token, the dark rose given to him by Jacques at the party. Ollie carried it with him so he would always remember the one who made his heart sing.

But it was a lie.

No, no no no, it couldn't have been a lie! When Ollie said "I love you," he was telling the truth. He would never, never lie about that. He had felt so sure about it. But now he wasn't feeling so sure.

He wasn't the only one that made Ollie feel how he felt.

He wasn't the only one that made Ollie smile that special smile, he wasn't the only one that made Ollie's heart feel like it was flying. He wasn't the only one that made Ollie feel like he'd be lost without.

 _Am I a liar?_ Ollie wondered, for about the millionth time. Everyone had one. Nobody made them feel like that person, and that was when you knew it was true. Maybe love was something stronger than how Jacques made him feel. Because that was same damn way that Petal made him feel, back home. The same way that Tarragon made him feel, too. Sure, thinking about them didn't make him feel like that _anymore_ , but he couldn't help but think about how both of them had made him feel the same way at the same time.

Jacques had made him feel so radiant. Jacques made him feel safe and happy. Jacques was someone that Ollie could easily spend the rest of his life with. Jacques made Ollie's heart beat fast, Ollie just wanted to be noticed and loved by him, and that knowledge made him happy. He had no idea how to explain how he was feeling but absolutely, no-doubt, infallibly in love.

But if that was true, why did he feel the same damn way around someone else?!

" _Oof! Gah, I'm sorry…"_

" _Hey, don't worry about it! How about we start over?" Ollie felt embarrassed, but he couldn't say no to those smiling red lips and gentle eyes._

" _Alright, one more time. I'll definitely get it this time." Each time they started again, Ollie felt calmer and calmer. He remembered the steps more clearly, and the feeling of them. At first he had only ghosted touching her, but now he was comfortably holding onto her arm and waist. At first it was going alright, Ollie's heart had finally decided to calm down and his hands weren't as clammy. He was a lot more comfortable, so it was a lot easier for him to move._

 _He kept looking down, watching her glossy red flats as she took swift, graceful footsteps that conflicted greatly with his clunky, heavy steps._

 _It wasn't until Ollie looked up that he totally lost his step again, causing a squeak as he stepped on one of her dainty little feet. Ollie was mortified._

" _I'm so sorry!" he said quickly. "Are you alright?"_

" _Yes," she said, giggling, "I'm just fine. Don't worry about it."_

 _Ollie was worried about it. "Oh my God…"_

" _Hey," his heart started racing again when she put her hands on his shoulders and looked up into his eyes, causing him to notice how they sparkled. "Don't worry about it. It's a minor thing. I just might have to wear boots to the party, that's all." Her lips glinted as they curved into a teasing smirk. Ollie's ears suddenly felt hot._

" _O-Okay…" he stuttered. His mind wasn't thinking words. Well, it sure was, but it sure as hell wasn't about what they were talking about._

" _Again," she said, taking Ollie's hand and arm._

" _Again!? Are you sure!?"_

" _Well you can't be stepping on the feet of all your sponsors now can you?" she teased. "Again."_

 _Ollie nodded as he took her hand and arm. "I'll definitely get it this time," he said._

 _Piccolo laughed. "You said that the past four times now."_

" _Well, this time I mean it!"_

 _This time, he came through. The dancing wasn't_ good, _nor was it_ graceful _or_ natural, _but it was passable, and for now, that was good enough for Ollie. He would have to practice more later. For now, all he could think about was lunch. Daria was already at the table, and the food was set out, just waiting for them._

" _I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some lunch," he said, smiling._ _"Would you… Do me the honor of joining me?" he asked, offering his arm to her._ At the time, he'd justified it by saying it was practice for being charming at the party.

 _Piccolo gave one of her signature bubbly giggles, and it was even cuter in person. "Why of course."_

This wasn't right. He couldn't possibly… He wasn't a liar.

 _Was I just lying?! Was I making myself feel things for the cameras? Did I really love him, or did I only love the fact that he loved me first?_

There was one. In this world, there was one person for everyone else. Why was it that there wasn't just one!?

Ollie had tried so hard to make himself believe that Jacques was the only one, but he just couldn't believe that anymore. He was lying to himself and he knew it. And this wasn't the first time this had happened to him. He couldn't just choose one between Petal and Tarragon. They both made him feel the same. Would he have just chosen the one that liked him back first? How shallow was that?! He didn't want to just love someone because they loved him first. But he seemed to be doomed to do just that. He couldn't choose any other way.

Tears were rolling down Ollie's cheeks. He hadn't lied when he said he loved Jacques, he couldn't have possibly been lying. But he hadn't told the whole truth. How could he have!? How could he have even come close to explaining how he felt? Ollie didn't even really know how he felt, let alone explain it.

Jacques was dead now. As much as Ollie wanted to push it aside, trying to claim it didn't matter, he just couldn't. It did matter. Ollie couldn't stand the thought of disrespecting his memory anymore.

Maybe it was just true what they said, that pan people like him were greedy, indecisive, they just couldn't choose one. They couldn't commit. Maybe Ollie was just destined to be a goddamn cheater the rest of his life, with no escape. Maybe he hadn't actually fallen in love with anyone, and had just been feeling strong friendship. Maybe he just tricked himself into falling for someone who loved him back. Ollie didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't help feeling like a greedy cheater.

Sure, he had never done it actively but… How could it not be cheating when he told Jacques he loved him and then daydreamt about Piccolo saying the same thing to Ollie the next day?! Wasn't that basically cheating?! He had cheated in his head, and heart. He hadn't been completely honest. But he didn't want to scare Jacques. He thought the feelings would go away eventually once he ended up in a committed relationship. They didn't.

"What is wrong with me?!" Ollie choked out loud, a sob escaping him. "Why am I broken like this?!" He now knew how June felt. He was a cheater, just like her. He was a cheater that didn't deserve this boat, after all that happened. Jacques had died and Ollie had watched, Jacques had invested his full heart into Ollie. And Ollie truly felt like he was putting his whole heart into Jacques, but if he was thinking about someone else, then how could he be?

Ollie thought he'd figured it out. When he settled into the label pansexual, it just felt so goddamn right. He hoped that maybe he'd stop being confused. But he hadn't. If anything, he was more confused now. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He could try to blame it on the Games, the twist, whatever had been done to them to make them act like this, but the truth was that he'd had this problem far before the Games, he just hadn't had to face it until now.

Ollie didn't know where to go now. He had nowhere to go, but row and travel with the wind. He could try to find the string, but that might be too dangerous. And that wouldn't make things right, in the end.

How would his family react if they knew he was in love with a Capitolite!? How would his friends react knowing that he was in love with someone responsible for him being here? A poster child for the Hunger Games, someone who gets paid to be in them, someone who gets fame and fortune from taking part in them. He was disgracing his fellow tributes. If he did get out of the Games alive, by some miracle, he would be disrespecting the tributes who were killed in his place if he spent the rest of his life with someone who waved goodbye to them all before they were sent into a deathmatch. How would Jacques's family react, knowing that Ollie rebounded to someone responsible for the death of their son, who had sacrificed everything out of love for Ollie!?

"I don't deserve your kindness," he choked out, tears dripping down his face. "I'm a liar. I'm a cheater. I'm broken. I loved Jacques, but I love someone else. I betrayed everyone." He sniffled. Saying it out loud made him feel slightly better. He wanted people to know. Maybe they would know how to fix him. Maybe they would know how to make him not broken anymore. Maybe they'll help him figure out his feelings.

"I cheated innocent people out of their lives. Kaelys directly, Jacques indirectly. I lied. I don't know how I feel at all. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve any of this."

Those were the only words Ollie could think to speak before he started gasping with sobs.

Ollie only had the strength to sob into his hands, curled up in the boat, drifting aimlessly through the open sea, only guided by the breeze.

-Ester Perliam, 16, District 8-

Ester woke up laying on Attila's warm lap, just where she'd fallen asleep. She was so warm and comfortable there, the thought of getting up was just too much for her. She decided to keep her eyes closed, just for a little bit longer, pretend to still be sleeping. He wouldn't wake her unless there was an emergency, after all.

Maybe it was a bit petty for her to keep her eyes closed, but she couldn't help it, she just wanted to hold onto his touch a little longer. She knew as soon as she woke up, it would be right back to work, rowing like there's no tomorrow, trying their best to hit the island before anyone else. They hadn't seen another boat in a while, so they had to wonder if they were going the right way at all.

Ester's mind soon wandered to what would happen if they didn't get that string, and the thought of it was enough for her to open her eyes. She would hate for someone else to reach it first just because she had spent three minutes with her eyes closed. Three minutes could be all it took for Chance and Nerio to get it first. And if that happened, that meant she would have to see Attila die if she wanted to live. And that thought sent shivers down her spine.

Ester hated to admit that the only reason she flirted with him was to get in with the Careers. She hated that the only reason she talked to him was because of her hunger to be a Top Dog. But at the same time, that lead to… This. And that hunger was something that he liked about her. They shared that. And now, neither could imagine being a Top Dog without the other. But if they didn't get the string, they'd have to live that reality. There was only one priority that mattered at that moment. The other tributes didn't matter. There would be all the time in the world to kill them. The only thing that mattered was getting that string. Then, then they'd go back and kill everyone else together.

Ester may have thought at one time she'd be more distraught about those that have died. But the truth was that in a choice between then and her, there was never a contest. The only person that would challenge her was sitting in the boat with her. But once they get the string, they won't have to choose.

Ester wasn't afraid to destroy whatever lies in the way between her and what she wants. No matter who or what that may be. She'd destroyed reputations before, after all. This was basically no different, right? Okay, so maybe it was different. But Ester didn't have a choice in this. It was either take theirs or they'd take hers. And Ester wasn't ready to give up her life yet. She had much more to give to the world. She was still destined to write for far more prestigious papers than her high school's in District Eight, after all. She had to have her name known. She didn't imagine it would be because of this, not in a million years. But this was going to give her reputation a jumpstart. Hell, it already had. Andshe wasn't going to stop here! There was no way she could.

"Hey," he said quietly, his lips quirking into a smile.

"Hi," she murmured, covering her mouth as she yawned. "Ugh, don't want to blow my awful breath in your face."

"You think _you_ stink?" Attila mused as she sat up. "Boy stink is just worse."

"Yours isn't that bad," she said, yawning again and rubbing her eyes. "You can barely even notice you. I'm just gross." It was true. Days without soap, shampoo, deodorant, a brush, even toothpaste and a toothbrush, were making her feel like a fucking goblin.

"You're not gross," he said, as she took an oar. Soon, without speaking, they were rowing in a rhythm. This was why she loved them so much. They just clicked.

"Thanks, but I really am. Look at my gross hair. My lips are so dry and disgusting. And ugh, holy B O."

"You wanna talk about body odor?" he asked, sending her a smirk. "You don't wanna smell my pits."

Ester would admit that cuddling with him is less than pleasant when they're both so sweaty. She can definitely smell it. Which is what makes her sure he can smell her. And the kisses. Ester didn't mind too much, but she was definitely kissing him less frequently as time passed. It was neither of their faults. That was just how it was.

"I think I accidentally have."

"Well considering you weren't knocked out cold, I doubt it."

That made Ester laugh. Attila didn't talk much, but sometimes he had golden comments like that. Ester wondered why he didn't talk more often. When he did, Ester liked what he had to say. Maybe she was rubbing off on him after all, even if only a little.

The conversation ended pretty abruptly after that, as conversations with Attila usually did. Ester was starting to not mind it as much though. She was starting to be more comfortable with the silence, instead of awkward about it. It gave Ester more of a chance to think, and Ester did love to think. She was able to think about how the sun felt on her skin, about to think about Attila being next to her. She loved to think of some of the silly happy memories they had, especially that kiss in the party. Ester didn't know it was possible for a romance to be that picturesque in real life, but she was excited about it. She thought about how everyone she knew back home would react.

Grapevine girl would just be shocked, and definitely jealous. She wondered if Barbara had the audacity to believe that she could take over the gossip column in Ester's absence. Surely it wouldn't be as good with her writing it, but she'd definitely write about how hot Ester looked with her new boyfriend from District Ten. Paul would definitely be jealous that Ester got such a glowing article written about her. Bisexual Caulfield would totally be jealous that she landed such a hunk, and stick-up-the-but Caulfield would just be pissed that Ester wasn't there to write the gossip column. Because again, Grapevine Girl would completely suck at it. She wasn't even good at giving information in time, let alone writing it all down competently by a deadline. And Caulfield was strict about deadlines.

Ester was snapped out of her thoughts abruptly when Attila yelled out, "Look!" and threw his arm out, pointing in the distance. Ester squinted. "Land!" he said. He was practically shouting. "Let's go," he said, sitting back down and cracking his back, arms, and wrists. "We have no time to waste."

Ester nodded, her heart starting to pound in anticipation. Ester was good at getting what she wanted, but… What if they didn't get there in time? It was a reality Ester couldn't afford to think of now.

Attila and Ester started rowing as fast as possible, and a sharp gust of wind behind them pushed them forward.

Ester was depending on that island to be empty, ribbon untouched. But she knew that nothing was certain. She glanced at Attila again, to match his powerful, quick strokes as best as she could. Every time she looked at him, she felt stronger and stronger. She knew that they couldn't afford to not get that rope. It was the only hope that they'd get to leave the Arena together, just as they'd entered it. This was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. But there was no guarantee that it would still be there. What if they hadn't worked hard enough…? What if they hadn't slaved hard enough? It just had to be there…

As the island in front of them got bigger and bigger, all she could do was blindly hope.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Alright, another chapter! I am super excited about this one! There was no action, true, but I hope that you enjoyed getting some flashbacks and reflections from our characters before the action continues. I had a plan for what was going to happen, but this chapter made me rethink some things, and now I have no idea.**_

 _ **Also, if anyone was wondering, I always do Final 8 interviews. Because they're super important and I love them. I thought about it because David mentioned on a review that he wasn't sure so I thought I'd let you all know. As for when that will be, I guess we'll see.**_

 _ **Chapter Questions: Do you think Riggs and Syca's alliance will last onto the island? Will Ollie be able to gather himself and fight for his chance? Will Ester and Attila be able to kill each other if they have to? Are there any other flashbacks you'd like to see in future chapters?**_

 _ **So now that we have confirmed deaths, I'll give eulogies.**_

 _ **12**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Dania Lidano, District 2, Killed by Bec Pierre and Shark Mutts**_

 _ **I feel so bad that I killed off both of Cloe's characters at once like this, back to back. So I'm sorry about that. Dania was a great character, she was fiery and complex, and far more than just "the short Career girl." From the beginning, I just wasn't really sure where she fit, because she and Miya really didn't go far and I just ran out of time to expand on her and Maggie properly. The truth is that a lot of these characters just have a lot more complicated and unique arcs, and Dania just got lost in the midst of it. I had intentions of her making it farther, but then I started to shift plans and she got lost in the chaos. Thank you so much for Dania, Cloe, I hope I did her justice!**_

 _ **11**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Kaelys Deinard, District 3, Killed by Drowning**_

 _ **Now Kaelys was definitely a showstopper. She and Ashlyn had the most interesting relationship in the story, and I really loved how tough Kaelys is while still being emotionally open and being incredibly loyal. She was incredibly gray, not afraid to do what she had to, and resorting to violence with her friends back home and in the Games. She was just betrayed so much, it was hard for her to not be rough around the edges. She was a very gray and complex character, and for a while she and Ashlyn were penciled in for a double Victory. After Ashlyn died and Kaelys reached the top of her arc, I wasn't really sure what to do with her. But thank you for another super complex character that really challenged me and pushed the limits of my writing! Hope you're doing well Cloe, and if you're around, send me another badass complex girl for this story's sequel!**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 170**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 35**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 100**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 285**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 105**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 96**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 68**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 169**_

 _ **goldie031: 289**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 0**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **: 230**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 29**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 210**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 289**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 49**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **AND, since we're in the top half, prices are going up! (Mik, since I totally forgot they were going up until now, I left the knife for Bec at 90, its original price.)**_

 ** _Battery (for flashlight/lanterns): 20_**

 ** _Small Canteen (Empty): 25_**

 ** _Large Canteen (empty): 30_**

 ** _Hat: 30_**

 ** _COOL Hat: 31_**

 ** _Blanket: 40_**

 ** _Compass: 55_**

 ** _Pillow: 50_**

 ** _Towel: 50_**

 ** _Basic First-Aid Kit: 55_**

 ** _Socks/shoes/shirts/extra articles of clothing: 55_**

 ** _Functioning Flashlight: 60_**

 ** _Sunscreen: 70_**

 ** _Bandages: 80_**

 ** _Simple foods (bags of jerky, crackers, or dried fruit): 85_**

 ** _Small Canteen (with water): 85_**

 ** _Iodine (to disinfect water): 85_**

 ** _Well-functioning Lantern: 90_**

 ** _Matches: 90_**

 ** _Large Canteen (with water): 100_**

 ** _Functioning Sleeping Bag: 100_**

 ** _Night-vision goggles: 120_**

 ** _Knife: 135_**

 ** _High-Quality Food (bread from a District, meat, broth/soup): 135_**

 ** _Tribute's Favorite Capitol Meal: 150_**

 ** _Complex First-Aid Kit: 150_**

 ** _Medicine: 175_**

 ** _Tribute's weapon of choice: 195_**

 ** _Arena Map: 500_**

 _ **Can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated! Hopefully the next will come sooner… We'll see. Also, as a heads up, prices go up again when we get down to 8.**_

 _ **Well, see ya next chapter!**_


	40. Day 6 II: Loyalties

_The sixth day_

-Attila of the Windy Plains, 18, District 10-

The minute Attila's eyes saw land, he paddled faster. He couldn't control himself now, all he wanted was to get to the island. The wind conveniently picked up, carrying them along. Ester was chattering excitedly as she worked as quickly as she could to keep up with him. This was it. This was the make or break moment, this was what was important.

The closer they got, the more desperate Attlia was. For once, his mind was racing. He hated the feeling, it was just so cluttered and loud up there in his head. And he knew that right now, he couldn't afford to be like this. The only thing he needed was to focus on the island up ahead and be the first to get that string. And he'd kill whoever he needed to in order to make it happen.

The weather became more humid as they approached the island, which was green and not nearly as tropical as Attila was expecting. He wasn't sure what to make of this new environment, but all he knew was that he had to get there.

They had been rowing for less than an hour, but it felt like a million years to Attila. His heart started to pound as their lifeboat hit the surface, causing a small jolt. Attila barely hesitated, though. As soon as the boat touched land he was up on his feet, grabbing Ester's hand and running to the mainland.

Together they ran down a path that had been laid through the thick foliage. Nobody else was in sight. Either they were much further up ahead, or Ester and Attila were first. Attila had a gut feeling that it was the latter. And his gut hadn't lied to him before.

Ester stumbled after Attila, who was running as fast as he possibly could through the trees. She didn't say a word, though, as they were both hyper-focused on the goal at hand. This was the moment that mattered, after all.

The trees opened up into a clearing, where Attila stopped to survey his surroundings. The dark green trees turned into much shorter, thinner trees decorated with pale pink blossoms. Surrounded but the pink trees was a small building. It was a square building with a roof that curved out in a way Attila had never seen before. Surrounding the building was a small stream of water that was crossed with a small cement bridge.

"It's beautiful," Ester murmured, looking up at the temple.

"It's untouched," Attila said under his breath. The string must have been inside. He was sure of it now, they were the first to arrive.

Suddenly, Ester collapsed to her knees beside him. Attila glanced down, worried that exhaustion had taken over her. What he found, though, was not exhaustion.

The tip of an arrow was sticking out of Ester's chest. Attila immediately looked around for the cause of this. All he could see was red. This was not the plan! Who would dare to mess with him!? They were surely going to get a slow, ugly death the moment he laid his hands on them. He couldn't see anything, and realized that he might have triggered a trap. But what if it wasn't…?

He was about to run in the direction the arrow had come, but he heard Ester gasp and was filled with worry. Her hand shakily reached out and grabbed his ankle feebly.

"Pl-ease," she gasped out, "D-on't go."

That was all it took for Attila to collapse on his knees at her side. He may have been mad, but Ester came first, and if this was what she wanted, he would serve her. That was all he'd ever wanted to do.

Ester's body was quivering and covered in sweat, but her eyes were still open. Every breath seemed to be a pain for her. Attila's hands quivered with… Not rage. No, it wasn't rage. It was something he had never felt before, and he didn't like it.

He had no idea what to do for her. He couldn't take the arrows out, that was the first rule in battle care. There had to be something he could do for her. He immediately started going through his backpack, Ester gasping and sobbing weakly beside him. It wasn't too late, she was still breathing…. He started taking things out, desperately searching for something he could do. He didn't stop until he felt a light touch on his wrist.

Ester's hand reached out, brushing it ever so lightly. She gave him a weak, feeble smile, and that was all Attila needed to see to know that his worst fear had just been realized. There was nothing he could do for her. It was useless to try. She was dying and the only thing he could do for her was try to make her comfortable. He couldn't fix a collapsed lung, and he knew it. Ester's hand, losing strength, feebly fell back to the ground. Attila grabbed it and held it as tight as he possibly could. As if that would keep her from dying on him. Tears rolled down her face and he wished he could do something, anything, to end her pain.

But he could. There was only one thing he could do. But only if she wanted.

"Should I end it now?" he asked quietly. A tear leaked out of his eye, sliding down his cheek. He didn't even realize he was going to cry until then. He didn't even care.

"No," Ester choked out. That was all she could say, but Attila heard what she was saying. _I want to spend as much time as I can with you before it's over._

Attila moved so that he was sitting behind Ester's head, gently lifting it and putting it on his lap. Tears rolled down her cheek, but once her head was comfortably on his legs her eyes slid shut, as she continued violently gasping for air. He gently wiped tears from her cheeks with his free hand as the rising and falling of her chest became more and more shallow. Attila's tears dripped down his face as he carefully caressed her teary face one last time. He was running out of time with her. He was running out of time far too quickly. He didn't know what else he could do.

"I love you," he whispered, cursing how his voice broke. He ran his shaking thumb across her cheek again. Ester couldn't talk anymore, but he knew what she was saying. _I love you too. I'll miss you._

He sat there with her until she shakily exhaled for the last time.

A cannon boomed. And that was it. Just like that, she was gone. Laying still in his arms. She wouldn't wake up. She was gone.

Attila felt like part of him had been taken away in that moment. Part of his heart. Half of his soul.

And it was his fault.

Attila of the Windy Plains never worried about the consequences of his actions. Attila of the Windy Plains didn't waste time thinking into the future, or worse, thinking into the past.

 _If there was one emotion Attila promised he wouldn't feel, it was regret._

Regret was all that he felt.

The consequences were quickly catching up to him.

Attila was good at throwing everything to the side, staying in the present. But now, he simply could not forgive himself. He was the one that let this happen. Ester died and it was because of him being rash, it was because of him following his gut. He hadn't seen a threat. He should have been looking for traps like that. He hadn't thought about what he was doing. He just did what he thought was right.

And it was wrong. It was _so_ wrong.

 _He_ was so…

Fucking…

 _Wrong_.

Attila's cheeks were wet with tears and he hadn't realized it until that moment. He hadn't realized that he was still clutching Ester's hand, as tight as he could. Ester's face was wet with tears that had been rolling down Attila's cheeks.

Attila hung his head, quickly hiccupping with tears that wouldn't stop pouring out of his eyes. How had he been so stupid? How had he not realized..? Ester… She trusted him so much, and this was what happened. He was the one that was rash. And he didn't even get to avenge her.

With every heartbeat, Attila became angrier. More hurt, more upset, more miserable. The reality set in quickly. He had lost her. He'd lost the only one he was trying to protect. He'd let her down, he couldn't help her, and he couldn't avenge her. If he couldn't help her, could he even help himself? He wasn't sure.

Attila felt stupid and arrogant. He was just an idiot, an idiot that had fallen to his own pride, his own bad judgment. Maybe if he would have stopped to think for a goddamn second about himself, he would have been better. Maybe then he would have been smarter, more cautious.

His pride caused her death. And for that, Attila would never forgive himself.

He was nothing but a stupid, prideful, selfish wannabe that had lost the _only goddamn thing_ worth fighting for. The _only goddamn thing_ he wanted to protect. The _only goddamn thing_ that was worth anything. The _only goddamn thing_ that made him a person worth protecting. Without his pride, who was he? What was he? He was nothing. Nothing worth saving. Nothing worth being.

Maybe winning the Games would bring him honor. Maybe winning the Games would fulfill some hole in his heart, maybe it would give him some sense of purpose. Maybe then it would be worth all the blood that was on his hands, on his sword. What made him more important than any of the other wannabes that walked the planet? What had he done to establish worth, other than tear other people down? Maybe there was something better to be earned than honor.

No, he was sure there was. There was something that was far better than honor. Something that he had to earn, something that he had to protect, and fight to keep. Something far more fulfilling and miles better than honor, status, praise.

Love.

Attila had lost it as quickly as he had earned it. Now he was alone again, but this time, he wasn't content that way. He no longer wanted to live alone, he didn't want to be alone.

Attila wiped his nose, sniffling, and angrily dried his eyes. He couldn't stand to look at what he'd done any longer.

He turned away from the temple and ran in the direction he'd heard Ester's killer escape from.

 _Revenge_ , he thought. _Revenge will make everything better again._

That was what he told himself, anyways. His run soon slowed to a walk, though, as he just couldn't muster up the motivation to do anything but curl up and be miserable, and cuss at himself, hate himself, for this terrible thing he caused.

He could try all he wanted to get revenge, and make things right. He could try all he wanted to fix things with destruction and violence.

But in the back of his mind, he knew this:

No honor, power, or glory in this world would ever come close to the joy he felt when Ester was in his arms.

~.~.

-Becquerel Pierre, 17, District 3-

Bec was so relieved when he saw land. It was a sight for sore eyes.

He hadn't been on the water more than a day, but he was still exhausted and itching to get up and walk around. And he was itching to enjoy his freedom. After all, he wasn't sure he'd ever get it.

Bec hoped that his District was watching him. Surely they were, now that Kaelys was dead. Bec was saddened by the news, more than he thought he'd be, but not too sad. After all, that was one less threat that stood in his way. Bec had seen Kaelys fight in training. He'd seen her fight and he'd personally seen her in her most rawly determined state. He knew that desperation would make her a fierce competitor. But now, she was out of the game.

He was really sorry she was dead, really. But right now, he couldn't be sorry. He didn't have the time or the energy. He knew he would just have to get through a little more. Each day the numbers got smaller. Soon, he would actually have to fight, and this time he wouldn't have the advantage of an ocean full of hungry sharks. Adrenaline gave him crazy ideas, that was for sure.

Now, Bec was sure that the Capitol could see him as a Victor. He had volunteered for his friend, so that Jace would never have to experience the horrors Bec was going through. But now, he wanted to convince the Capitol that he volunteered to win. Just like Chance and Nerio, and Attila. He would show them that he didn't volunteer to die.

Victory was getting closer and closer. As tired and sore as Bec was, he knew that the worst was yet to come. Soon, he would be forced to battle more, and he might be forced to fight tributes that were innocents. Sure, it was easy to throw the Career overboard who volunteered wanting to kill. It was easy to throw a knife in the back of the bloodthirsty girl that had killed Bec's ally, his _friend_.

It was not as easy to slit the throat of a kid that hasn't done anything wrong.

Bec knew that he wasn't one of those people. He tried his damn best to stand up for everyone, but he couldn't be there for everyone. He'd gotten hurt, beat up, and he fought. He hurt people too. He wasn't any angel. He had dirt on his hands. He'd ruined the lives of the people that came after him. With ease. Maybe they'd wronged him, but he'd fought back. He was sure that tributes like Ollie, Syca, maybe even Riggs, had never hurt someone the way Bec had.

Even if that was true, Bec still had to somehow convince himself that his life was more important than theirs. Somehow Bec had to make sure that the blood was on his hands. It was kill or be killed, and Bec still wasn't ready to die. Maybe that was selfish of him. But he couldn't help it. He still had so much to do, so many sights to see, and so many people to prove wrong.

He hated the thought of killing a fifteen-year-old, but if that was what he had to do, he would just have to do it. He just hoped that fate would keep him from killing until the only ones left were nasty volunteers.

Then again, fate wasn't in charge here. The Capitol was completely in control of all of their fates, after all. If the Capitol wanted Bec to fight Ollie, Lux Hastings would make sure it happened.

Bec was good at talking his way out of things, as his previous time had shown. He was good at bullshitting a way out. He was good at making reckless plans and having the luck to come out of them by the skin of his teeth. He was good at persuading people. But this was something Bec simply couldn't talk his way out of. He had to face the reality. Not to mention that if Attila and Ester found him, he'd be dead as a doornail. They weren't going to forgive Bec for outsmarting them. Not a chance. And with Attila's brute strength, and their advantage of numbers, he didn't stand a chance. That was a situation he did not want to bullshit his way out of, if at all possible.

Suddenly, a cannon sounded, causing Bec to become alert, looking around and wondering who could have died. He wasn't sure if someone had died on a boat or on the island, but he could only hope that the threat wasn't near. Looking around, Bec only saw one boat in the distance, so he didn't feel alarmed. If anything, it was one step closer to his Victory.

When Bec's boat hit land, he breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped out of it quickly, his legs thankful to be back on dry land. Just as he was about to enter the forest, he noticed a glinting figure coming down.

Bec couldn't stop the smirk from slowly spreading across his face. He was right. The Capitol was behind him. They knew what he was capable of. They knew he was going to win.

Bec picked up the parachute and opened it. Inside, waiting for him, was a roll of bandages and a small first-aid kit. But under those was the real gift. A knife glinted in the sun, and a note was attached to it. Bec unfolded the note and read:

 _Make it a hat trick._

Bec smirked and looked around, wondering where a camera might be hidden. "Don't you lose faith in me now," he said, keeping the knife close and zipping up his backpack. "I'm only just getting started." That was only partially a lie. "But playing it smart is the only way to win." He smirked a bit, knowing that he had that going for him.

And Bec knew that smart would mean avoiding the path made by the Gamemakers.

He watched as two boats started to close in on the island, and without wasting another second, dashed into the thick foliage.

.

-Chancellor Magnusun, 17, District 1-

Neither of them had slept a single wink since they got off that boat. Chance felt like a zombie, but he couldn't stop paddling. He just couldn't afford to. He and Nerio needed this, and he'd have plenty of time to sleep later, after he won, and with Nerio by his side.

Chance and Nerio each made sure the other was still awake as they rowed and rowed. Chance felt like a zombie that would crash at any moment, and as much as he loved Nerio, the District Four boy looked the same. Nerio was pale, his hair was limp and greasy, and his eyes had dark circles under them. His face barely moved in any sort of expression, it stayed perfectly still as they both rowed.

In the beginning, it had been kind of fun. But now, the fun had worn off into pure desperation. With every row, Chance put his head down, eyes sliding shut, before realizing that he couldn't afford to doze and continuing to row. Nerio was still wearing the ridiculous sombrero he'd gotten, which kept his head from drooping, and protected his eyes and skin from the sun. Chance was glad that the backpack they'd gotten had sunscreen in it, otherwise he certainly would have been as read as a lobster by now. Hopefully they wouldn't run out.

Luckily, being from District Four, Nerio didn't need as much sunscreen as pasty Chance did, since his skin was used to the sun. As long as the two of them ended this quickly, there would be no reason for worry.

"I see it," Chance said, squinting and praying that his eyes weren't deceiving him. "I see land."

"Really?" Nerio seemed to spring to life, turning around to look. "Oh, you're right! We have no time to waste then. Let's get rowing!"

Chance gave a nod, allowing himself to have just a second to look into Nerio's eyes. He just felt more anchored when he did, because he knew that someone else was there, and they were a team. They had each other's backs. And Chance knew that this was the opportunity they'd been waiting for. The Capitolites surely saw them together and knew that they had to win together. This string of fate was made surely just for them. After all, the wind had been on their side the entire time. Cherio was number one, they were the ones on top of the world. They were together, they were both trained, and they were both willing to fight for this. And for each other.

Chance had definitely noticed that things were different after the pair had encountered Joule. He couldn't help wondering if it was more his fault than he'd originally thought. Yeah, he was mad at Nerio for taking his kill. Chance was going to make that kid suffer for what he did. And, of course, for catching the eye of the one Chance wanted.

Chance had always been a jealous person, even back home with… Oh, damn, what was his name again? The one Chance had that thing with? Oh. Marlen. Of course. Chance felt weird that he forgot his best friend's name. Truth was, he hadn't even thought of Marlen for… Who knew how long? Maybe the two of them were growing apart. Chance wasn't sure. Maybe Chance was just so focused on training and winning the Games. That was likely the case. After all, that was the reason Chance came here. Because he had something to prove. And nothing could stop him… Right?

Chance wasn't so sure that was true. But if and Nerio get that string, everyone else is just done for. Nobody else is going to stand a chance against them. That was the only option now. The thought of fighting Nerio, which was becoming more and more likely with each cannon, was worrisome to Chance. Would Chance be able to deliver a killing blow to the person he felt so close to? He wasn't so sure about that.

The more he thought about that reality, the faster Chance paddled, Nerio following suit. Soon, they were catching up to another boat that was approaching the island, and Chance knew that they just had to be first. Chance set his sight on the island and paddled as quickly as he could. With each stroke, the coastline of the island became closer and closer, causing Chance to feel more desperate. What if they weren't first? They hadn't passed anyone yet. Maybe they were destined to be star-crossed lovers forever.

No. He couldn't let that happen. Chance was in control, and that meant that they would get that string. After all, Ester and Attila were the only pair now that would want it, and surely that oaf's weight was too much for Ester's scrawny District Eight arms and they were like weights in the middle of the ocean. There would be no reason anyone else would want it. Right?

Chance and Nerio rapidly passed the other boat, which Chance noticed contained his District partner.

"Hi Wicke!" he called as he and Nerio kept paddling.

"Suck my ass, bastard!" she called after them, which caused both Chance and Nerio to snicker.

"I'd like to deal with you now!" he called, "Just like I dealt with your dear Acacia! But Nerio and I have to get the string of fate now so have fun by yourself!"

Wicke was yelling profanities and threw a knife at them, but it missed Chance by a mile, which made Chance laugh harder. Soon, Wicke's yells faded out as Chance and Nerio were propelled further and further past her, still laughing all the way. Something in Nerio's eyes didn't match up with his laugh, but Chance figured exhaustion was just kicking in. It happened to the best of them, especially after both of them had been awake for so long. Just as Chance was sure they'd lost her, they heard a cannon, which made Chance both excited and worried. Did that mean someone was fighting on the island already? He could only hope that cannon was for Ester or Attila.

Suddenly, Chance was made aware of a sound that sounded like air hissing. "Nerio, do you hear that?" he was suddenly desperately wishing that he's just delusional and tired.

"No, I do…" Suddenly the part of the boat Chance had been leaning on felt less secure.

"Chance." The sound became louder and Chance realized that something was very wrong.

"What happened?" he asked. Why would the Capitol let this happen!?

"I think we have a hole."

"What…" Chance suddenly realized that Wicke's knife had hit its target exactly. "That bitch!" he yelled, filled with anger. How dare she! The nerve of this girl!

"We're close, let's just keep paddling." Nerio said. "Stay calm."

Chance paddled even harder and faster than he had before, full of anger that he'd been outsmarted. Soon, though, it was evident that they weren't going to get there in time. The boat was going down fast, and soon both of them were wet.

"We're going to have to swim!" Nerio said.

Chance swallowed nervously. Of course he knew how, he was sure that Nerio had taught him before they came into the Arena. But now… He wasn't sure…

"Let's go!" Nerio didn't hesitate to dive into the water. The island wasn't too far away, and there was no other choice, so Chance followed. Nerio was swimming with all his might, and soon they were separated. Chance just kept going, and soon Nerio was back in sight, treading water and waiting for him. This time, they swam together, and Chance was starting to feel more confident.

Until he felt a searing pain on his ankle and was jerked backwards. Something had grabbed his ankle, and was pulling him backwards. Chance barely had a chance to scream before he was pulled underwater, thrashing like crazy, hoping that somehow Nerio would realize that he was missing.

Chance grabbed a knife from his belt and stabbed downward, trying to make the beast let go of him. He was starting to run out of air. He swiped his knife downwards, and his side burned with pain as the shark dragged a bladed fin across it, almost like a grater. Chance couldn't scream, all he could do was fight with his might. Another creature appeared as the light from the surface started to disappear, but Chance wasn't ready to give up.

Chance swiped his knife again across the shark-creature's tough skin, but he wasn't even sure he'd done any damage. He'd never fought blind like this before. He knew he was going to be overcome by the mutts, but Chance was never one to give up, even if he knew he was done for. There was always a way to cheat the system.

Suddenly, the grip on Chance's ankle loosened, and just as he was hit across the back from a fin, he felt a weight grab his wrist.

But this weight didn't have teeth. It was a hand. It was Nerio. Nerio swam with all his might, and soon Chance helped him, to the surface. On the way, Nerio fought the mutts, only stopping when they retaliated with their fins on Nerio's legs.

After what seemed like an eternity, they broke the surface. Chance gasped and coughed, and Nerio wasted no time swimming as fast as he could, Chance in tow, towards land. The shark-like creatures were still hot on their tails, but Nerio wasn't going to give up.

Chance was still gasping when they finally hit dry land. All he could see was black and he barely had the energy to push himself up on land. Every inhalation brought back coughs and water. He could feel blood gushing out of his wounds. It was all a blur, Nerio pressing on his chest and Chance coughing out water.

They had lost all their supplies except weapons, but they were alive.

And, thankfully, Nerio had lost the stupid sombrero.

Chance still didn't feel like himself, but as soon as he could think straight he pushed himself up on his feet.

"We have to-" he coughed, "Go for the string now."

"Chance-" Nerio said, but Chance was already pushing himself up to a standing position. "Let's go." Chance could barely put weight on his right ankle, but it didn't stop him from hobbling down the path. It would be worth the pain to get the string. It would be worth losing his foot if he still had Nerio.

Nerio was there to help him along the way, and together they approached the temple that was standing in the middle of beautiful pink trees. Chance didn't have much time to admire the surroundings, he just knew that he had to get that string.

When they got in the temple, they noticed that it wasn't empty. Nerio let Chance go to get his trident ready.

The tribute turned around, eyes widening at the sight at Chance and Nerio. It was as if he didn't even notice them.

"W-Wait!" Ollie squeaked out. "Please!"

"Why did you want the string?" Chance asked through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain of blood gushing out of his ankle and the wounds all over his body.

"I- I just wanted it to give another tribute a chance! I-I-I owe it to Jacques, a-and his family, b-but it's not here!"

"I don't believe it!" Chance said.

"I don't either," Nerio said, backing Ollie into a corner with his trident. "Just give it and it's all going to be easier."

"P-Please, I don't have it!" Ollie threw his backpack to Nerio, quivering. "Let me help you find it! I'll g-give it to you if we f-ind it, if you let me live!"

Nerio glanced back at Chance, who was considering the offer. Chance looked at Ollie, who was quivering. Chance could see his mind working.

"Nerio!" he shouted, just as Ollie lunged at him.

Unfortunately, the element of surprise wasn't a match for Nerio's experience, and just as Ollie was going to try to bring Nerio to the ground, the boy from Four drove his trident through Ollie's chest. Ollie collapsed, face still shocked, and unmoving.

"Chance, let's go," Nerio said as the cannon boomed, looking upset. Chance wasn't sure if it was from killing Ollie or from the realization that the string wasn't here, or both.

Chance nodded weakly, wrapping an arm around Nerio's waist and exiting the temple. Together, the couple disappeared into the thick foliage of the forest, Chance's mind racing the entire time. The moment they stopped and Nerio helped Chance sit, he closed his eyes, feeling exhausted and aching like hell.

Nerio started disinfecting his wounds, which kept Chance from blacking out, and let him continue to gather his thoughts.

Surely the red string of fate was on a pillar, or something, right? Why would it be on the floor of an empty temple. Maybe the pillar was there and it went away when the string was taken.

Or… Maybe… Just maybe… The string was never in here to begin with.

Maybe the search for the red string of fate had only just begun.

 _ **A/N: Hurray, another update in a timely manner! Now that we're really getting down to it I'm hoping that updates will get faster and faster all the way until the end! So here's some nice suspense to leave you all on! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**_

 _ **And, next chapter will be our final 8 interviews! Which also means that prices are going up again, ehehe. Also, I'm going to reveal to you all the poll about who should be in the Final 8.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Now that we're at the final 8, who do you want to see as Victor(s)? Is this the final 8 you were expecting or did you think it was going to be totally different? Are you satisfied with the final 8? Let me know!**_

 _ **And, now it's time for eulogies.**_

 _ **10**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Ester Perliam, District 8, Killed by ?**_

 _ **Ester! My girl! She was so great, and my only lovely 16-year-old. I knew from almost the start that she was going to find an in with the Careers, and soon after decided that it'd be fun to put her with Attila. I feel bad because she was originally going to have a much more prominent villain arc and she got lost within all the Arena madness. She was a really fun and interesting character that had a lot of spunk, but also a lot of bite to her. Definitely one of my favorite females in the story, and a consideration for Victor, she was really creative but also very real. It was fun to write her finding her place in the world. Thank you so much for this badass gal, Tigress! I hope you're doing well, and if you have time, consider submitting to this story's sequel!**_

 _ **9**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Ollie Kirk, Distirct 11, Killed by Nerio Thames, D4**_

 _ **DREAMER I'M SO SORRY! I was just going through the polls and the tribute list, not sure who to take, and this was the choice I ultimately made. It's sad that Ollie had to go before he came to accept himself, but not all arcs can end cleanly. He died doing what he thought was right, trying to make things right. I had Ollie as a Victor consideration for a while, but ultimately knew that he wouldn't have what it took to win and live as a Victor. He was such a good character unlike anything I've written before, and his curiosity and desire to learn was really unique and fun. He was always a joy to write and I always looked forward to writing him and his interactions with the other tributes. I wanted so badly for him to be Final 8 so we could hear from his family, but ultimately his road had to end here. Thank you so much for this amazing character, and for a wonderful four years of friendship and counting :) And of course, hope you consider maybe possibly thinking about submitting to the sequel of this story. Lol.**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 170**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 45**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 100**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 285**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 115**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 106**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 73**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 199**_

 _ **goldie031: 299**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Kate: 0**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **later. glader: 240**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 29**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 75**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 299**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 49**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **And now, for updated item prices:**_

 _ **Battery (for flashlight/lanterns): 25**_

 _ **Small Canteen (Empty): 35**_

 _ **Large Canteen (empty): 40**_

 _ **Hat: 40**_

 _ **COOL Hat: 42 ;)**_

 _ **Blanket: 50**_

 _ **Compass: 65**_

 _ **Pillow: 60**_

 _ **Towel: 65**_

 _ **Socks/shoes/shirts/extra articles of clothing: 65**_

 _ **Functioning Flashlight: 80**_

 _ **Sunscreen: 90**_

 _ **Basic First-Aid Kit: 95**_

 _ **Bandages: 100**_

 _ **Simple foods (bags of jerky, crackers, or dried fruit): 105**_

 _ **Small Canteen (with water): 100**_

 _ **Well-functioning Lantern: 110**_

 _ **Iodine (to disinfect water): 120**_

 _ **Matches: 150**_

 _ **Large Canteen (with water): 200**_

 _ **Functioning Sleeping Bag: 200**_

 _ **Night-vision goggles: 300**_

 _ **Knife: 310**_

 _ **High-Quality Food (bread from a District, meat, broth/soup): 400**_

 _ **Tribute's Favorite Capitol Meal: 500**_

 _ **Complex First-Aid Kit: 500**_

 _ **Medicine: 550**_

 _ **Tribute's weapon of choice: 600**_

 _ **Arena Map: 650**_

 _ **Thanks for reading all! See ya next chapter where we'll hear from the families of our final 8!**_


	41. Day 7: Final Eight Interviews I

_The seventh day_

The clock struck noon, and immediately the green expanses of the mountainous Arena gave way to a bright red Capitol seal and Viola Wallace sitting at her desk, smiling brightly.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Final Eight Interviews broadcast for this, the Fourth Quarter Quell, the 125th annual Hunger Games!" Viola said, pausing to allow the crowds watching in the Capitol square to boom with applause. "It's certainly an exciting program we have planned for you all. My twin Piccolo got the insurmountable honor of travelling out to Districts One, Three, Four, Six, Seven, Nine, and Ten to talk to the families of the final eight tributes in this year's Hunger Games!" she beamed at the camera. "Congratulations to Wicke Valentine, Chancellor Magnusun, Becquerel Pierre, Nerio Thames, Rigley Fidler, Syca Gallen, Juniper Fisher, and Attila of the Windy Plains! One of these eight courageous young people will come out of the Arena with the crown." She paused again, and the crowds cheered and whooped. "Alright, I won't keep you all waiting any longer!" she said. "Soon I'll turn it to Piccolo, who is in District One with Wicke's family as we speak! But first, let's have a look at her Arena journey thusfar!"

The Capitol seal appeared on screen, colored in white and red, before it changed to the cruise ship, the Capitol theme playing in the background as the girl's journey was documented. The screen first showed Wicke losing her ally Acacia on the first day, and breaking down the next day. It showed her hiding from the Careers, Dania noticing her but moving on. Her vowing revenge for her partner and friend, however she could get it on the third day. Her pact with Dania on the fourth night. Them escaping the boat on the fifth day, and Dania drowning. Wicke could do nothing but watch and swear revenge for her ally. And, of course, her iconic line as her knife punctured Chance and Nerio's lifeboat. And her current position on the island, climbing one of the immense, rocky and grassy mountains.

The anthem ended and the screen transitioned to Piccolo, who was sitting in a cozy-looking living room with two stern-looking adults.

"What an amazing journey she's had! Hello Panem, and welcome to the Valentine household! I'm here with Gladion and Holi Valentine, Wicke's parents. Thank you so much for opening your house to me!"

The woman, whose make-up looks clownish by Capitol standards, pats her platinum curls and gives a dazzling smile. "It really is a pleasure. I didn't think you would be here," she said, laughing lightly.

"Oh? Why is that? Did you think my train was going to turn over?" he asked, laughing awkwardly.

"She means because of our daughter," he said.

Piccolo immediately looked sad, looking away from the camera for a second. "You mean you didn't have faith that she would make it this far?"

"She really never was the shining star at training," Holi sighed.

"We didn't think she'd actually volunteer," Gladion sighed.

"Well, she obviously knows what she's doing," Piccolo said, trying to keep his tone from sounding too harsh. "Aren't you proud of her?"

"Of course we are," Holi said, smiling. " _Aren't_ we?" she gave her husband a pointed look.

"Of course," he huffed out.

"Well, I know that she has a tremendous fanbase now that she's in the final eight!" the rest of the interview continued in the same manner, Piccolo trying to get encouraging answers out of the Valentines and neither of them complying.

Soon, the interview transitioned to a different, but just as comfortable-looking house.

"Now I'm here with Wicke's best friend, Amelie Kristoph! Again, thank you for hosting me."

"Oh, it's my pleasure!" the girl said enthusiastically, flipping some of her silky hair over her shoulder. "I started cleaning as soon as she was on the train, because I knew you'd be coming."

Piccolo beamed at the camera. "Now that's what we like to hear!" he said enthusiastically.

"Wicke has always been unstoppable," Amelie said proudly. "She's never let anything slow her down, and she certainly isn't about to start now!"

"Wicke has certainly had some hardships during her time in the Arena," Piccolo said. "Losing two allies, both from District Two… One of whom she really…" Piccolo's voice wavered, ever so slightly. "One who she was quite fond of."

"Yeah," Amelie said quietly. "But she's not going to let them die in vain."

"She's certainly proved that much. Do you think she's going to be able to kill her own District partner?"

"Who, Chance? After all the hell he's put her through, I know Wicke wouldn't hesitate. She doesn't take well to people who do her wrong. And she's not really the merciful type."

"She obviously didn't hesitate to throw that knife," Piccolo said. "She knew exactly what she was doing then."

Amelie smiled a little. "She certainly did. That's the Wicke I know and love. Now that she has that fire in her, there's no stopping her."

"She's certainly on a roll. She's basically uninjured, and has a fair amount of supplies. And probably some tricks up her sleeve still."

"I don't doubt that at all." Amelie winks at the camera, and some members of the Capitol audience cheer and whistle.

"So, tell us a little about Wicke. Are there any stories you can think of that involve you both?"

Amelie thought for a second. "Well, we were inseparable when we were kids. I remember one time I had a huge crush on this guy in my grade, and when he found out, I ended up crying in the girl's room. And who was there for me? Wicke." She laughed a bit. "Always there to pick me up when I do something dumb."

"Ah, I see. What do you think is Wicke's greatest strength or advantage over these other tributes?"

"Well, she's well, and she's strong, and strong-willed. Wicke already saw the worst of it and she's coming back, only twice as hard. Nobody stops Wicke when she's wound up and determined like this. They'd all better watch their backs."

The crowd applauded more at that. The interview continued in that fashion, Amelie being supportive and proud, and Piccolo feasting off of her energy and enthusiasm.

"So, if you could say one thing to Wicke right now, what would it be?"

Amelie didn't even hesitate. "I would say that you're doing great. Never hesitate, avenge your friends. Avenge Acacia. Come home. Everyone is rooting for you. This is your moment, Wicke, this is your time! It's finally here, the time you've been waiting and fighting for. So shine bright like I know you can."

"How sweet! Very well then, there you have it! Thank you so much again, Amelie, for your kind words and opening your lovely house to me."

The next interview took place in a small but homely-looking apartment. "Now this is certainly a first! I'm here for Wicke's last interview in District Three, with her brother Elton Valentine. Isn't Panem amazing!?" Piccolo stopped as the crowds in the Capitol square roared and rumbled. "Thank you for hosting me here, Elton."

"Why it's certainly not a problem, Piccolo." The boy gave him a signature cocky smirk, running a hand through his sandy hair. "It's wonderful to have you here."

"So, you're here at District Three University, and what is your major?"

"Accounting," Elton said, continuing to show his winning, lazy smirk to the cameras. "I'm out here for the best education, for the big business."

"Well, you'll certainly find it here. But, as interesting as your life must be, we're here to talk about your sister!"

Elton's smirk faltered slightly. "Oh, right. Her."

"It seems like you don't have the best of relationships?"

"Well," Elton said, leaning back and giving a sigh. "We were often compared to each other. Ya know, I'm older, I've got the brains, I got to Uni, and she just stuck to training. We just took different paths, and they obviously care more about academics. And that's just how it is." He sighed and shrugged. "It's not my fault she's a painfully average District One girl wannabe."

"Well, she's not painfully average, obviously. She was one volunteer out of hundreds, and now she's one out of eight vying to take the crown."

"That may be true. But you act like her path's set. She still has plenty to work for."

"Well, she's already proven that she's a hard worker, I'd say. And plenty capable of taking the crown."

"Maybe she is. Maybe she's just lucky."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see just how many people she can prove wrong."

Elton's smirk widened again. "Yes. I guess we will."

The interview went by quickly after that. There really wasn't much more to be said.

"Well, thank you for having me, Elton, and best wishes to you in your studies."

"Why thank you. Come back anytime!" Elton winked and Piccolo managed a smile.

"Now, get ready to be back in District One to meet the friends and family of our very own Chancellor Magnusun! Let's take a look at his Arena journey!"

The Capitol seal flashed across the screen, colored in white and a dark maroon. It showed Chance making the first kill of the Games at the Cornucopica first, then him and Nerio ending up in the master bedroom and having sex for the first time in the Arena. Then it showed Nerio and Chance receiving their first sponsor gifts, the sombrero and the night vision goggles. After, it showed Chance and Nerio killing Persei in the bathroom, and then Chance receiving the umbrella hat with pictures of Nerio in it. Then it showed Chance fighting Joule, and Nerio making the mercy kill. It briefly played Chance and Nerio having rough sex after, and documents a bit of their discussion about the kill the next day. Then it showed the two of them rushing upstairs to get a boat, and seeing Attila and Ester in the distance and vowing to catch up with them. The screen lit up with their fight with isonades, the shark-like mythical creatures that dwelt in the ocean, and then them finding Ollie and Nerio killing him before they left without the string. It showed where they were currently, in the thick foliage, where Nerio was tending to Chance's wounds. Chance was wearing a new shirt and Nerio was using a first-aid kit from a sponsor.

After the last loop of the anthem ended, the screen showed Piccolo, who was sitting in another bright, clean house.

"What a journey! Well, I'm back in District One, and now I'm here with Chance's parents, Avril and Quintius. Thank you for having me!"

"Of course," Quintius said. He looked stern and didn't smile.

"Well, surely you're nothing but proud of Chance for making it this far!"

"It is to be expected of Chancellor," Avril said.

"We did not raise him to fail," Quinitus said. "This family is not a family of failures, or of cowards."

"Well, he's certainly done well for himself!"

"He's certainly not lived up to his full potential," Avril said.

"What do you mean by that? I believe he and Nerio are the fan favorites to win."

"If Chancellor were living up to his full potential, he would have began with the Careers, not gone rogue with someone like…. That." Quintius was trying not to cringe. Piccolo shifted slightly in his seat.

"You will see when his sister volunteers," Avril said matter-of-factly. "Then you will see real potential."

Piccolo looked uncomfortable, but continued smiling. "Well, the Capitol loves Chance, and Nerio as well. Many are hoping they win together."

"He's lost all hope," Quinitus said. "Chancellor is going to throw himself away for that lanky bastard, because he was weak."

"We don't think he was weak," Piccolo said.

"If Chancellor was strong he would have killed that boy early on."

Piccolo bit his lip. The interview continued that way, with Chance's parents comparing him to his sister and talking down on their son's performance. Piccolo seemed a bit relieved to be saying goodbye to them.

The next interview took place in the same house. Instead of two adults, though, this interview was with a sixteen-year-old girl that looked strikingly similar to Chance. She had silky black hair and the same blue eyes. She was giving the camera a smile as soon as it started rolling.

"Well, now I'm here with Chance's younger sister Radiance!" Piccolo said. "Welcome Radiance."

"Thank you," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My, you certainly look like a girl version of Chance!"

The girl's face went sour at that. "Maybe he looks like a boy version of me," she said irritably.

"Perhaps, but he is older," Piccolo said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood again.

"That doesn't mean jack-s-," she said, the final word covered by a bleep.

"And, of course, the first to make his Capitol debut."

"But I'm going to make a better one, just you wait," she said, still scowling.

"So, what is your relationship like with your brother? You seem to be very competitive."

"Yes, of course we are. We both want to be the best, but only one of us really can be."

"Is it really possible to judge who is the best?"

"Oh, yes it is." She smirked. "You'll see. You'll all see that I've been the overlooked Magnusun this entire time!"

"So, you aspire to volunteer?"

"When I'm eighteen, yes." She crossed her arms. "And you'll see. I'll be the stronger Magnusun. I'll win."

"Are you saying that you don't think Chance will win?" Piccolo's eyes betrayed sadness as he asked the question.

"Not if he continues to act like this."

Piccolo spent the rest of the interview trying to get a kind word out of Radiance about her brother, but it just wasn't working. The interview ended with the same question that had been tradition for years.

"If you could say one thing to Chance right now, what would it be?"

Radiance thought for a second. "Well, it'll be no fun to one-up you if you lose in there. So get the balls, kill your District Four bitch, and do what you kept saying you were going to do so that I can do it better."

"Well, there you have it. Thanks for talking with me Radiance."

The next interview took place in a slightly smaller but still clean and inviting living room.

"Now I'm here with three of Chance's best friends, Marlen Graves, Wylyn Betryce, and Raymora Harding! Thank you so much for being here everyone."

"It's an honor," Marlen said softly.

"Of course you'd be here! There was no doubt in my mind!" Raymora said happily.

"So, how long have each of you known Chance?" Piccolo asked.

"Two years," Wylyn answered.

"I met him a couple months after Lyn!" Raymora chirped.

"Practically our whole lives," Marlen said.

"Your whole lives? That's quite a while! Do you have any childhood misadventures with Chance you'd like to share?"

Marlen thought for a second. "Well, one time we ditched school together. We were like, I dunno, twelve? Thirteen? It was some kind of assembly about fire safety and we just weren't into that. So we decided instead we were going to skip and go see a movie."

"Bad boys!" Piccolo said, jokingly. "Did you get away with it?"

Marlen smiled a tiny bit. "Yeah, we actually did. I was a big worry wart the entire time, though, so I didn't have much fun."

"Ah, I see. How about you two?" Piccolo addressed the girls now. "Any stories come to mind about Chance?"

"Well there was that one time that Lyn gave him a black eye when they were sparring!" Raymora said. "He was mad, but he couldn't just _stop_ talking to Lyn."

Piccolo laughed. "Is that typical Chance?"

All three of them nodded.

"So, I'm about to ask you all a question I'm sure the Capitol is dying to hear the answer to… What do you all think of Nerio? As we all know, a boyfriend should have the approval of all Chance's friends!"

"I think they make a great team!" Raymora said, continuing to fidget with her hands. "I had Nerio picked out as the most likely to fall for Chance from the beginning."

"Oh did you?" Piccolo asked, smiling.

"She did," Wylyn said, nodding sagely. "I think that they make a good team, and I worry for them if they don't find the string."

"What about Nerio as a person? Would you say he's a good match for Chance?"

"I'm surprised it happened so quickly, but I think he's a good guy. He obviously makes Chance happy," Wylyn said, smiling.

"He's definitely looking out for Chance too! I was about ready to cry when he ran into those… Shark things. What are they?"

"Isonades," Piccolo said, and Raymora nodded before continuing.

"Yeah, those things. But Nerio saved him! I think that speaks volumes."

"So, you would say that Nerio has your approval?" Piccolo asked, and both girls nodded. "How about you Marlen? You've been awful quiet over there."

Marlen, who had been looking at the floor, glanced up. "Oh, um… Well, he makes Chance really happy, and, um… They like each other. A lot. I can tell. And that's all I want for Chance. For him to be happy. So… Yeah. I guess I approve of him."

"Well, I'm sure that he and Nerio would both be happy to know that!" Piccolo said, and all three of them nodded.

"Well, I'll conclude with this question: If you could say anything to Chance and Nerio… What would it be?"

"I would say to keep fighting, and stay strong!" Raymora said.

"Yes, and I would add that if Nerio does anything to hurt Chance or leave him behind, he's dead to me, and to all of us," Wylyn added.

Marlen nodded. "Yeah. That… That basically sums it up," he said quietly. He offered a feeble smile.

"Well, thanks for having me." Piccolo smiled at the camera. "Stay tuned, after this commercial break we'll be taking a look at the journey of Becquerel Pierre, and meet some of his friends and family!"

The Capitol Seal appears on the television, this time colored with silver and gray. Panem's national anthem plays as the screen shows Bec going for a weapon in the Cornucopia and hiding. Moments later, his ally Dyna is killed by Luna as they were running to the Cornucopia. It showed his conversation with the other Careers, telling them he knew where other tributes had gone, and him joining their alliance. Then, it showed him receiving his first sponsor gift, some medicine, much to the other Careers' dismay and suspicion. The next day, he receives another gift, a hat with rabbit ears attached. He wore it for a short time, but then the other Careers told him to take it off to make him less visible. Bec made a joke after that about which is more vibrant, the tall and bright white ears or his naturally bright and noticeable red hair. That drew a laugh from the crowd, remembering the funny moment. It showed the fight between the Careers and Kaelys's alliance, where Bec begins fighting Ollie, who quickly stepped to the side, and showed Bec throwing his knife into Luna's back when nobody was watching. Then, it shows Bec negotiating for his life with Ester and Attila, saying he knew where Dania had gone off to. Then, it shows him running the opposite direction from Ester and Attila, who don't go after him and go up for the boats. The crowd gasped and relived the thrill of Bec darting up the stairs and fighting Dania for the last boat. As the boat shook and rocked, Bec gained the momentum, and used all his strength to catapult the Two girl off the side of the ship and steal her boat. It showed him vowing to win for Dyna, his friend, on the boat under the colorful star show, before arriving on the island and running off the path, into the woods. The footage switched to the present, where Bec was hunting for a meal close to his small shelter, close to the beach.

The screen changed at the last note of the anthem, to a small, dimly lit house, a contrast to the previous tributes' homes, which were bright and clean.

Piccolo sat with a tired-looking woman that greatly resembled her sons and a tall, wiry man that was smiling.

"What an intense journey he's had. Now I'm here, in the very place where Bec grew up, with none other than his parents, Blaise Pierre and Nikon Waltan. Now, I'm sure that like me, our fine country is curious… Why does Bec not share his father's last name?"

"I'm actually his step-father," Nikon said calmly.

"…Becquerel never knew his father," Blaise said, wringing her hands. She looked as if she hadn't slept in a number of days. Her hair was the same brilliant red as her sons', and was pulled back into a bun that had once been tight but was now very messy.

"And he wanted to keep his mother's last name? How sweet! Well, with the same hair you have, it must be a Pierre thing!"

"Yes," Blaise said weakly. "It is."

"So, I think all the Capitol is wondering… Did you have any idea your son was going to volunteer?"

"None," Blaise whispered.

"No, we didn't. But it made sense. He's so high-and-mighty, he swore off romance you know, he probably thought he was invincible."

"She was just volunteering for her _friend_ ," Blaise said, through clenched teeth, burying her face in her hands upon realizing her mistake. The next word she muttered into her hands was censored.

"How has this process been for your family? Surely you've been brought together," Piccolo tried.

"It's been hard for Erwin," Nikon said.

"Well, Erwin should have nothing to worry about! After all, Bec is doing wonderfully!"

Blaise's back was shakily rising and falling, but she made no sounds.

"He's certainly holding his own in there."

"The Capitolites obviously love him," Piccolo said. "Have you seen all the gifts he's gotten?"

"Yes," Nikon said. "Of course we have. We've been watching since day one."

"Well then, you certainly must be proud."

Blaise spoke, her voice quavering. "I am so proud of him," she whispered.

Piccolo asked Bec's parents a few more questions about their relationship and memories with Bec, where Nikon talked about his loyalty to the Capitol and expressed hope in the opportunities that Bec winning would give the family. That ended the interview on a high note, as Piccolo thanked them for hosting him.

The next interview took place in the same room, with a boy that could have easily been mistaken for his brother, except for his freckle-less face. Because they were both sitting, the height difference between the boys would not be noticed.

"Before you ask, no I'm not here with post-cosmetic altercation Bec! This is, in fact, his twin brother Erwin! Thanks for being with me Erwin!"

"Mhm," he said quietly. The boy looked almost as worse-for-wear as his brother, with dark circles under his red, irritated eyes and his usually-pale skin even paler than usual.

"Did you have any idea that Bec was going to volunteer?" Piccolo asked.

Erwin reached up to rub at his eyes before shaking his head. "No. Well, I mean… I was standing right next to him when he did it. So… I could see it in his eyes, yes. We… We're… We're thick as thieves. I know what he's thinking, most of the time."

"I'll save the joke about twin telepathy," Piccolo said. "As a twin myself I know it's exhausting to hear."

That got a tiny smile out of Erwin, but he still didn't look over at the Capitolite. His eyes were focused on the ground.

"Well, Bec has surely been doing well so far, and I'm sure he will continue to do well! What do you think is his greatest motivation to get home?"

Erwin thought, before answering quietly. "His friends. He lives for them. For us. He's very loyal. Sure, he wants to have surgery, and live a better life, and have food on the table, but… It's for us. Because somewhere in there he knows we need him home. He refuses to leave us to fate."

"Do you think he felt the same way about Dyna? After all, they were left to fate on the first day."

Erwin squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before continuing to stare at the ground. "He would never abandon them on purpose."

"Well, this is the Hunger Games. He does have to watch himself more than his fellow tributes."

"I see it in his eyes. He's not going to let anyone stop him from taking the crown. Nobody."

"Well then, I wish the best for him, and for you."

"Thanks," Erwin muttered, still not looking up.

Piccolo asked a few more questions before the traditional final inquiry.

"So, what would you say to Bec, if you could?"

"I would tell him… We all need you here. Please do this, for us. But also… Do it for you. Because you deserve better than you've gotten. I think you're so brave and you're so close to coming back home. Can't wait to see you again, buddy."

"And there you have it. Thanks for being with me, Erwin!"

Piccolo reached out his hand, and Erwin slowly took it and lightly shook it before the screen switched to a different house, this one smaller and slightly darker than the others.

"Well, now I'm here with some of Bec's best friends! In order, Ari Henrikson and Rose Nostrade! Thanks for being here with me ladies!"

"Of course," Ariadne said, running a hand through her blonde hair and smirking. The Capitolites murmured about how such a pretty girl like Ariadne could be friends with a girl that is slightly pudgy, greasy, and boyish-looking like Rose.

"It's an honor," Rose said, keeping a small smile on her face.

"So, did you have any idea that Bec was going to volunteer?" Piccolo asked.

"No, I didn't!" Rose said. "It was crazy brave of him."

"I knew," Ariadne said quietly. "I knew as soon as Jace was reaped."

"So, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing?" Piccolo said.

"He was doing it for a friend. That's just who he is, what he does. If Rose was reaped I would have done the same."

"Oh, don't go around with that," Rose said, playfully punching her friend on the shoulder, hard. Ariadne subtly rubbed her arm and Rose apologized quickly before continuing. "I'd have a way better shot at the Arena than you would," she said jokingly, with a laugh. Piccolo laughed as well. Ariadne just smiled a bit.

"Well, Bec is doing very well. Are you surprised at all that he killed not one, but two trained Careers?!"

"I was pretty surprised. I mean, I taught him all he knows about fighting, of course," Rose said, with a theatrical smile, "But I didn't know he had _that_ in 'im. Goes to show, you don't piss off Bec Pierre and live to tell the tale."

"I wasn't surprised at all," Ari said, brushing thick curls out of her eyes with her fingers. "After Luna killed Dyna, I knew she would fall to Bec. As for Dania… That was more surprising. But…" Ari's smirk came back, even bigger than it had been. "Bec can do _anything_. I think the world is just waking up to that fact."

"I think so too," Piccolo said enthusiastically.

Piccolo asked them a few more questions about the various shenanigans they and Bec had gotten involved in over the years, and their favorite thing about him. Finally, the last question came.

"What would you say to Bec now, if you could say anything?"

"I would say… Remember to thank me!" Rose said, with a laugh. "I'm kidding. I mean, maybe I showed him how to throw a punch, but all he's done has been in him all along. I just want him to win. Sock it to 'em! You're pretty used to that." Rose gave a big smile, showing the world her yellow teeth.

"And you, Ari?"

"I would say… Actually, I'm not going to say anything. He knows what I'd tell him. He can't hear me anyways, and if he wants to hear something from me, he'd better get home." Her eyes had fire in them as she looked at the camera dead-on.

"Well, alright! Thanks for being here!" Piccolo shook the girls' hands, and the screen changed. The background was the same, but this time Piccolo was sitting with a young boy with scarred olive skin, especially around his cloudy eyes. He was extremely small and thin, but was still smiling. Somehow.

"Now I'm here with the man you would have seen as your tribute had he not been volunteered for Jace Galilei! Welcome Jace. How are you doing?"

"I'm good." His smile faltered. "I'm alive."

"Did you know Bec was going to volunteer in your place?"

"N-No… I… I had no idea."

"Well, it certainly seems like he knew what he was doing!" Piccolo said. "Final eight already."

"Yes… Bec has always been on my side, and he's always been a courageous fighter. I was scared for him, but I knew he would make it this far. I… I wouldn't have. I would have died first."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that now!"

"For another year."

Piccolo scratched that back of his neck, chuckling lightly. "So, have you been watching the Games with Ari and Rose?"

"Yeah," Jace said quietly, smiling. "I'm glad they've been around. They tell me what's going on. Well, when you don't." Jace smiled at Piccolo.

"Oh, I see!" Piccolo smiled and laughed a little. "Well, I'm flattered! I'll have to narrate even more now!"

"It's nervewracking that I can't see him. But I believe in him."

"We all do, Jace. He's received so many gifts already! He's bound to be set for the rest of the Games!"

"I hope so," Jace said, smile unwavering.

"So, how did you lose your vision? If you're willing to share?"

"Well, um… My friends and I, a few years ago… We were assaulted by some… Other kids. Bullies. I-It was a fight, you see, and… Yeah. You can put it together."

"My… That's awful. I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's… Alright. Bec and Ari and Rose and Erwin have helped me heal."

"Well, that's certainly nice to hear. I've gotten the impression that Bec is loyal until the end."

Jace nodded quickly. "He's like the big brother I never had but always wanted!"

"Well then, I'm sure he's just waiting to get home to you."

"I'm ready for him to get home."

"Well, surely it'll be no time!"

Piccolo asked Jace for some stories about Bec and for some of the most admirable things about Bec before the interview drew to a close.

"If you could say something to Bec right now… What would it be?"

"I… I am eternally grateful to you for saving me. I owe everything to you and I will always remember this. You will always be my big brother and my best friend. Please make it home. Win this wonderful life for yourself, you deserve it. And… I'm sorry. For the pain you took because you took my place. Thank you. Thank you. I love you."

Piccolo's eyes were filled with tears when the camera focused back on him. "Thanks for being with me, Jace." He took a minute to clear his throat and give a small sniffle. "Now, for our next interview, I'll be travelling to District Four to interview the friends and family of our very own… Nerio Thames. S-So… let's have a look at his… Arena journey thus far."

The Capitol screen was displayed in a mix of light and darker teal before the screen showed the sunny first day on the ship. The screen displayed Nerio's dash for supplies, where he killed Miya in the process before running off with Chance. It showed Nerio receiving the sombrero from his Capitol sponsor. After that, it showed he and Chance chasing after and killing Persei. It replayed them finding the elevator, and focused on Nerio during his mercy-kill of Joule. Like Chance, it showed footage of their make-up sex, and some more of their argument before they calmed and stayed there together. It showed some extra footage of them wandering, searching for tributes unsuccessfully, and documented a few of their sweeter moments as a couple. It showed the same footage from a different angle of the two of them running for a boat, desperately trying to get to the island before Ester and Attila. Then it showed their fight with the sharks, Nerio's realization that Chance was no longer behind him and split-second decision to dive and save him. It showed Nerio struggling to carry the bleeding, practically unconscious Chance to shore. It showed their journey to the temple, and Nerio killing Ollie. As the last loop of the anthem faded, the screen continued to play footage.

The footage was now in black and white, and went in slow motion. The song in the background was a heartfelt rendition of "My Heart Will Go On." In slow motion, the journey of Nerio's sombrero was documented, from the time he opened it and put it on, smiling over at Chance, to him wearing it while he and Chance were kissing, giving a smirk and raising an eyebrow. The final image was, just as dramatic, the sombrero floating across the ocean, in black and white slow motion. Underneath, cursive red text appeared that read, "RIP Nerio's Sombrero. 125-125. You Will Be Missed." The crowd howled with laughter at that.

The screen switched to District Four, where Piccolo was sitting in an incredibly well-lit and clean-looking living room. Piccolo's eyes glistened as he smiled at the camera. Something wasn't translating. He didn't look over at the broad man with a stern face or the woman that somewhat resembled her son.

"Now I'm here with Irvin and Cari Thames, Nerio's parents, in the beautiful and sunny District Four. Thank you so much for hosting me."

"We are excited to have you here," Irvin said, his light blue eyes glinting with a smile.

"I rarely see him this excited," Cari said, as she was practically beaming herself. She ran her hands through her hair and puffed it up.

"Well, it truly is a pleasure. So, Nerio volunteered at seventeen. Did you know he was going to?"

"Of course he was," Irvin said, a small but proud smirk spreading across his face. "It was what he was born for."

"He is doing great things for his family," Cari said, giving the camera a large white smile.

"Yes, he's brought a lot of honor to the Thames name and I'm sure he'll continue to do so as time goes."

"He was made to be a Victor," Irvin said. "He was made for this."

"Well, he's certainly worked hard to fulfill his calling. Did you ever consider him waiting another year to go at it?"

"We both knew he was ready," Cari said. "One year isn't going to make a difference. And what better Games to win than a Quell? Not everyone was born in the right age range for this opportunity."

"Did the twist concern you at all?"

"Of course not," Irvin said. "Nerio never had any interest in that sort of thing."

"Well… Until now." Cari said, biting her lip.

"I'm sure the whole nation is curious… What do you think of Chance?"

"Well…" The parents exchanged a glance. "I didn't even know that-"

"We didn't know," Irvin said. "That he, um, swings that way."

Piccolo's eyes widened slightly. "You mean you didn't know that Nerio is gay at all?"

"Not until he was on the screen doing… That."

"It must have been quite scarring to watch your son have sex on national television."

Cari gave a small laugh. "A little bit. But he's simply playing the game."

"And a smart one indeed."

"So you think this may all be part of a strategy?"

Cari bit more of her lip, and Irvin's face became slightly gruff.

"It would certainly be a smart one," Cari said. "That's what I would have done, if I had been given the honor to be where he is." She made a bit of a face.

"I would have stayed away from other people," Irvin said, shaking his head slightly. "But Nerio is making his own decisions now."

"You must be proud."

"Of course."

"Nothing but!"

"So, if Nerio and Chance get out of this together, which is… Quite…" Piccolo took a breath. "Likely… Would you approve of Chance as a suitable beau for Nerio?"

"As long as he's wearing the crown, I don't give a damn who he's with," Irvin said simply.

"I hope that you're right, and they can both win. I would be happy to welcome Chancellor as a member of our family," Cari said, giving the camera another large smile.

The interview continued with Piccolo asking a few more questions, before he shook the hands of both parents and it was time for the next interview.

When the screen faded back into focus, Piccolo was sitting in the same room with a girl that shared Nerio's tawny hair, but had her dad's light blue eyes.

"Now I'm with Pamela, Nerio's younger sister," Piccolo said, smiling and shifting a bit in his seat. "Nice to meet you Pamela."

"Nice to meet you too," she said, offering a big smile.

"I'm sure it's exciting to have him in the final eight. Did you just know I'd be here?"

"Of course I did! Duh, he didn't volunteer to just, like, _die_." She glanced over. "That sounded kind of bitter to me, my friend. Why so stiff?"

"Well… I do apologize for my tone. I certainly didn't mean for it to come off that way. Please, let's continue the interview." Piccolo gave a smile, messing down with his fingers. "So, can you tell us a fun story about you and Nerio? Anything come to mind?"

Pamela stroked her chin playfully in thought. "Well, one time we went down to the ocean and tried to go fishing with out bare hands."

"With your bare hands?" Piccolo smiled. "Did you catch anything?"

"I didn't," Pamela said. "I almost did, but those are some slippery suckers!" she gave a hearty laugh. "Nerio almost did. But the darned thing got away from him too."

"Well, that's a shame."

"We also tried caching fish with only our mouths, like the big bears do. But I didn't get anything then either, just a mouthful of gross salty water."

"Did Nerio?"

"Yeah, he actually did! He caught a small one in his mouth and managed to get it out of the water before it could swim away! Guess you could say my brother's good with his mouth." The crowds watching chortled at that.

"Speaking of Chance… Your parents didn't know that Nerio was gay until watching the special. Did you know?"

Pamela shook her head. "No. I was kinda mad he didn't tell me, at first, but… I didn't really mean it. I mean, it's his thing and… I guess he wasn't ready to tell until that happened. Which… I guess I understand." She and Piccolo were both looking at their hands now.

"Ah, I see. Yes, coming out is a very personal choice. He was probably just waiting for the right time, and that time didn't come until… Then."

"Doesn't make it any less disgusting to see my brother doing all that shit on TV!" she said, energetic and smiling again with a laugh. "Give my brother a rest, Chance." The crowds were howling with laughter at her comments. Piccolo continued to smile.

"So, you think that Chance is a suitable match for Nerio?"

Pamela bit her lip, in thought. "My brother could do better. I mean, he's Victor material, so if Chance were also a Victor… Then he might get my approval. After a lot of sister trials. He wants my brother's ass, he's gonna have to go through me first. Actually, he got the ass. If he wants my brother's heart, though…. _Then_ he's gonna have some work to do."

"You think Chance doesn't have Nerio's heart now?"

Pamela deflated a little bit. "You can be a real party pooper sometimes."

"Meaning?"

"Yeah, I honestly think he does. But I didn't even get to do my duty as his sister!"

"Isn't it usually the job of the older brother to protect his little sister from harm?"

"It can go both ways!"

"I suppose it can indeed."

The interview continued in that way, Pamela keeping the energy up and making the crowd laugh with her sense of humor.

"So, if you could say one thing to your brother, and to Chance, what would it be?"

"I would say… Nerio… You can't lose your _chance_. Get it!? Because Chance?!" The crowd laughed at that, and Piccolo smiled. "But legit, you're doing great out there sweetie. So keep doing what you're doing! Chance, you get better soon, so that you can have my brother's side and he doesn't have to labor over you. But yeah, go Cherio! You two just keep kicking butts and taking names! Stick that trident through everyone before they can beg for mercy! Get back to me soon!"

"Th-ere you have it. Thanks for chatting with me, Pamela." Piccolo's eyes were glistening as he shook Pamela's hand, and screen faded before the two had even released hands.

When the screen showed Piccolo next, he was still smiling, and sitting in a different room with a teenage boy that had thick, curly brown hair. He was a District Four beauty, with a perfectly crooked smirk and those gorgeous ocean-green eyes.

"Now I'm here with Lyle Calder, Nerio's closest friend from home. Thank you for being with me."

"It's my pleasure, honestly! I'm a little bit starstruck to even have you here, in my house! And, like, we're talking about Nerio, my best friend, because he's out there living his dream! I couldn't be prouder!"

"You're excited for him."

"Of course I am! He's amazing! I have to say, when I saw him waving that flag around I knew he was having the time of his life. And he's been able to show the world who he really is, which makes me unspeakably proud."

"Did you know before the footage aired that Nerio was gay?"

Lyle gave a smile and nodded. "Yessir, I did. I was the first and only person he told before then. I was touched. Honored. It brought us even closer together."

"That is certainly a privilege. How long have you two been friends?"

"We met in… I think it was second grade? We were both so chatty during class they actually had to seat us on totally opposite sides of the room when we were kids."

"Nerio? Really? He seems so… Quiet. Reserved."

"He wasn't always that way. When we were kids he was just as upbeat and energetic as I was."

"What do you think happened?"

Lyle shrugged. "Training maybe. Or maybe just puberty. I mean, all kids are way more energetic than adults. Were different people, but that's okay! When we got older we started to scare teachers less, anyways." He laughed, and Piccolo smiled. "And even to this day we're still thick as thieves, he and I. Nobody will crush our spirit!"

"Do you think anything will change if he comes out a Victor?"

"Of course it will. I can see that the Games is changing him. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a thing. They change everyone. That's something they always preach in the Academy. He'll be different, even if it's just slight, and that will change our friendship. But that won't weaken it. If anything, I'm sure it'll be even stronger than before." Lyle gave a wide grin to the camera. "After all, eventually we'll be sitting on the stage together every reaping!"

"Oh, do you intend to volunteer in a year or two?"

"Heavens no! I'm not really cut out for the whole Games business." Lyle smiled. "That's Nerio's job. I just really want to be the mayor of District Four someday. That's my goal and I'm going to see it through! There are so many things to be upheld in this wonderful District and so much to be improved in the future! And I want to be the leader of our great District through the process!"

"Well, I'm sure the District will love having a leader as energetic and forward-thinking as you."

Lyle talked a little bit longer about his aspiration to be mayor, then Piccolo asked a few more questions about Nerio before the concluding question.

"So, if you could say one thing to Nerio right now, what would it be?"

"I would say… Man, you're so close. Nothing is stopping you now! You're on a roll buddy. See ya soon! Also, if your ass was in pain the morning after, I couldn't even tell, so kudos!"

The crowd was laughing as Piccolo shook Lyle's hand.

The next interview took place in one of District Four's training center, a synthetically bright space full of weapons, mats, punching bags, and obstacle courses. Diligent trainees were working hard in the background as Piccolo stood with a tall, strong woman with an intimidating air surrounding her. She looked sweaty and stretched out her arms as Piccolo introduced her.

"Now I'm with Raina Coburn, Nerio's main trainer. Thanks for making some time to talk with me."

"Of course! That's what I do." She smiled and tightened her dirty blonde ponytail.

"So, what did you think of Nerio's volunteering one year early? Did you support his decision?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" she said, the words quickly flying from her mouth. "I encouraged it after all! I knew that he was our best chance at a Victor this year and I certainly haven't been proven wrong yet." She laughed a little and added, "No pun intended."

"Speaking of Chance, how do you feel about Nerio's relationship with him? Do you think it will be his downfall?"

"I… Don't know. At first I was confident that he wouldn't be affected by this Quell twist, but… He's certainly been busy. He's been playing a good game so far. I'm just worried that any real attachment to Chance may drag him down. As shown by Nerio's risking his life to save him from those isonades. That was a close call. Chance is lucky Nerio's such a good swimmer, and such a stubborn-ass." She snorted a bit and smirked.

"Many people thought that Chance was a goner."

"I suspected that was a possibility, but as soon as Nerio went for him I knew they'd both end up alive. Worse for wear, but breathing."

"And indeed they did."

She nodded. "I don't put anything above Nerio anymore."

"So, in training, what was Nerio's biggest weakness? Has he overcome it yet, do you think?"

"Why would I tell you that? Sure, the tributes may not be able to see, but their mentors sure can. And from the word I've gotten back from the Victors, nothing is below them anymore."

"Are you insinuating that there's drama in the mentoring room?"

"It seems a bit tense there, yes."

"Well, there are high stakes for a lot of our Victors. All of them would like to have their tributes come out alive. So it's understandable that there are tensions. Because not everyone can get their tribute back." Piccolo rubbed his eye with his knuckle.

"Yes, and now that Luna has fallen, Port and Michael have been working together to get money for Chance and Nerio. I think Cartier is also very involved in helping. They're a team of three now."

"Well, they certainly have their mentors' blessing then. Let's hope that they find the string before it's too late."

The interview continued on, going back to stories about Nerio's misadventures in training and his biggest strengths in the Games. Raina explained what her strategy would have been but gave kudos to Nerio for getting as far as he has, expressing nothing but hope for the rest of his time in the Games.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to Nerio?"

"You've played all your cards right so far. I'm on your team, kid! You made the right choice in ally, and your loyalty to him will hopefully be rewarded and paid back. You made all the right moves, so just kill some more tributes like you did that firecracker from Ten, like that crybaby from Eleven, and you'll be on your way home in no time!" She gave the camera a big smile and a thumbs up.

"Well… Th-There you have it." Piccolo smiled. "Thank you, for your time. N-Next up, we'll see the Arena adventure of Riggs Fidler. So… Stay… T-uned."

 _As soon as they said cut, Piccolo burst into sobs._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Alright, Final Eight interviews are getting too long so I'm gonna do half and half. This always happens to me when I do this XD Anyways, hope you all enjoy the first part of our final 8 interviews! Next chapter we'll have the other half and then the Games will get right back to the action!**_

 _ **Hope you are all doing well and are as excited as I am for the rest of the interviews (and the end of the semester, tbh)! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**_

 _ **Also, any gifts that are bought by sponsors will be received on the eighth day, as a headsup.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Which tribute had the most interesting interview group? Which individual interview was your favorite? Were there any surprises you found upon getting to know the tributes' families?**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 170**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 55**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **TheAmazingJAJ: 400**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 110**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 285**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 125**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 116**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 73**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 209**_

 _ **goldie031: 309**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **later. glader: 250**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 34**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 85**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 329**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 49**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **See y'all with the next chapter!**_


	42. Day 7: Final Interviews II

_The seventh day_

After a slew of commercials featuring Victors, escorts, and other celebrities, the screen flashed with a Capitol seal colored blue and gold and Riggs's Arena journey was shown. First it showed his fight with Ester for supplies, and her hesitation to hurt him. Upon rewatching, the crowds could tell that Riggs had more than enough time to dodge the attack. It showed his finding the little store in the ship and smashing the rose off the shelf. It showed him meeting up with Joule, and stitching up his wound. It showed Joule dying to Nerio while Riggs escaped. It showed Riggs recovering, crying, mourning his ally, and his determination to keep going. It showed his rapid search for boats, and realization that there was nothing left, before Syca hurriedly showed him the boat and they got on. It showed Syca giving him the letter from Gian, and then the arrival on the island, and their arrival to the temple, realizing it was empty, and venturing into the forest together. It cut to a live feed, where they were splitting some lunch and Riggs was reading the note from Gian again.

The screen switched to a dim house lit by one dimming light. Piccolo was sitting with two adults that couldn't have looked less enthused to be there. The man looked bored, and his wife just looked exhausted.

"I'm here now with Riggs's parents, Hugh and Vannah Fidler! Thank you so much for hosting me!"

Both parents nod and give small grunts, but don't say much.

"Well, I imagine that this has been quite a journey for you both."

"Yeah," Vannah sighed.

"It's been something."

"Have you been watching non-stop? I imagine it would be quite stressful for you to not see your own son."

"We've been watching," Vannah said, her voice practically devoid of all emotions but exhaustion. "But there is still work that must be done, whether Rigley is here or not."

"Well, if Riggs wins, you won't have to work any longer! Couldn't any of it work?"

"Raising _three boys_ takes more work and energy than you could ever imagine."

"That sounded scathing," Piccolo said, frowning slightly. "I'm sure you love and care for your kids very much, even when you're stressed."

"It's certainly stressful alright."

Piccolo shifted slightly but had no problem bringing his energy back up. "So, are you surprised that Riggs has charmed a _Victor_? What do you think of Gian?"

"Coffee complex," Hugh said bluntly, with a shrug.

"He seems very nice," Vannah said, with no sincerity.

"Riggs showed from the beginning that he had Victor potential. What do you think is his greatest asset?"

"His energy," Hugh said. "And persistence."

"His lack of fear for life-threatening stunts," Vannah said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Just like other boys." She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, those will both help him. But I think he's far more than the energy and daredevil, as he's shown now."

Both parents nodded, but neither of them said anything. The interview continued largely the same, with Riggs's parents not expressing any emotions and looking tired. Piccolo thanked them at the end, keeping the smile on and energy up as he shook their hands.

The next interview took place in the same room with two very similar-looking boys. The only difference to tell them apart was that one's hair was slightly darker.

"Now I'm here with Maxen and Cullen, Riggs's brothers! So, tell us, which is which?"

"I'm Cullen!" the light-haired one said. "And it's just so nice to meet you! I never thought I'd be hosting a Capitolite in my own very house!"

"I'm Maxen," the other said, keeping his hands folded in his lap.

"Well, just from that I'd say you two are much more different than you look."

"We have our differences. But that makes us a dream team." Cullen winked, and Maxen rolled his eyes slightly but gave a small smile.

"We work together quite well." Maxen's smile widened slightly.

"Well, did the dream team receive any guidance from their big brother, perhaps?"

"Riggs? A mentor?" Maxen chuckled softly. "No. I've had to guide him sometimes."

"Riggs and Max are pretty different," Cullen said.

"I thought I said don't call me Max on national television," Maxen said, crossing his arms but giving a slight smile to indicate that he was teasing.

"Sorry Max. Oh, I mean, Max _en_."

"Whatever, Cul."

"Cul. That's cute!" The lighter-haired twin gave a bright smile to the cameras.

"Well, I think that any viewer has gathered that much from what we've seen. Hopefully that causes no bad feelings between them."

"Not at all!" Cullen said. "We all love each other. We're brothers, after all."

Piccolo smiled. "Well, I'm sure glad to hear that."

"I do wish Riggs would be more careful but… There's no way to be careful anymore. Not where he is."

"That is true," Piccolo said. "His outgoing nature has definitely helped him. So, I assume you've been watching?"

"We've been watching a lot," Cullen said. "I'm still studying for my AST prep class, both of us are, but we have it on pretty much all the time now."

"I don't blame you. It must be so exciting to see your older brother out there, fighting for your District's honor."

"It's… So much fun." Cullen's eyes got sadder but the smile didn't leave his face. "What a journey."

"Riggs has had some of the best ups and worst downs while he's been in the Arena. Tell me, are you surprised that he was able to win the affections of your District's own Gian Mariani?"

The twins exchanged a look.

"I'm not," Cullen said. "Riggs is a loveable guy, and he's definitely charmed the pants off the rest of the nation. Why not an A-list?"

"I was surprised," Maxen said, matter-of-factly.

"Were you?" Piccolo laughed. "Why's that?"

"Because I thought Gian wasn't his type. Or that Riggs isn't Gian's."

"Well, you know what they say. Opposites attract!"

"Good for Riggs, honestly! Maybe Gian will inspire him to go to Uni just like we both will be!"

"That'd be a miracle," Maxen breathed.

"I think Riggs will have worked hard enough to win a Quell. But we'll just have to see what happens if and when he comes out."

"It'll be when, Piccolo, I promise you that!" Cullen piped in, giving the cameras a wink. "I just know it. Riggs isn't going to let a chance like dating Gian Mariani go that easily!"

The crowds watching applauded as Piccolo asked some more questions, concluding with the traditional final question.

"So, if you could say something to Riggs right now, what would it be?"

The twins both thought.

"I would say… Do it for Gian! And for all of us back home! You can do it Riggs! I just know that you can!" Cullen said. "Then we can have a dating sweepstakes for Maxie here!"

"Now more than ever you have to be serious, Riggs. Please don't drop the ball here. You've come much too far for that. And don't call me Maxie, you idiot!"

Piccolo laughed. "There you have it. Thanks for hosting me, both of you!" he shook their hands, smiling and nodding.

The scene switched to a different house, which was dusty and dim.

"Now I'm here with the other two members of Riggs's dream team, Neeka Musso and Torrin Wagner! So nice to meet you both!"

"So nice to meet you, like, actually meet you!" Neeka said, flipping brown hair over her shoulder and puffing it out with her hands to show off her blue eyes. She was wearing a strapless top and jean booty shorts, which the crowd was eating up.

"Definitely a relief," Torrin said.

"I bet. Has the time gone by fast for you?"

"I can't believe we're at the final eight already," Neeka said.

"It feels like the time goes slowly while we're watching, but taking a step back it feels like it's whizzed by."

"I bet. Riggs has been doing well. He's chosen his allies carefully and they've helped him tremendously. And he's had plenty of his own moments of strength. What do you think of his choosing an ally so late into the game?"

"I think they'll work together well," Neeka said, smiling. "I'm just worried that it may end unhappily for Riggs."

"You think he'd die for Syca?" Piccolo said, eyes widening.

"Of course not!" Torrin. "He wouldn't. Right?"

"That wasn't what I meant," Neeka said. "I just meant that if Syca goes… Hopefully they part soon."

"You don't seem to think it was smart."

"It couldn't be controlled, considering it was his only chance for a lifeboat," Neeka said. "And… Thank God for that." She shuddered a bit.

"Those isonades were truly terrifying, huh?" Piccolo said. "Well, they shouldn't be a worry now. Unless Riggs tries to go swimming."

"He's not that big a daredevil," Neeka said.

"Not even I would do that," Torrin joked, laughing a bit.

"Well, I'm sure he and Syca will be fine."

Neeka shifted a bit in her seat, uncomfortably. "They can't both be."

"Unless they find the string!" Torrin said, giving the camera a smile.

"Yeah, that would be amazing," Neeka said. "They definitely make a great team!"

"Don't you think that the string is meant for lovers?"

"There's only one pair left, and they're doomed to self-destruct. It's time for some brotherly love to prevail!" Torrin said.

"Well, I sure hope you're right! That would be quite a twist to our Games about love. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see who finds the string first. Hope is not gone yet!"

The interview continued that way, with Riggs's friends being energetic and rooting for him, including the final question.

"What would you say to him, if you could?"

"I would say get home so you can get that good Victor ass!" Neeka said, laughing so hard she snorted. When she recovered, her smile faded slightly. "I think I speak for all your friends here when I say we need you back here in one piece. And now there's nothing stopping you, so take the title."

Torrin's eyes glinted. "I'm about to say those cursed words that neither of us has ever listened to in our lives. You ready buddy? Okay…" He took a breath. "B…. Be… Be Ca- Be C- Be…" he comedically pretended to not be able to say it. "Be careful. Yeah, be careful. Now's the time to win the Games. And you have to play it safe to do that. Wow, it's weird feeling those words come out of my own mouth. But I mean them! So keep it up! Get back soon!"

"What good advice. Thank you so much for having me!" Piccolo said, shaking both of their hands. "Next up, we're going to take a look at the Arena journey of Riggs's ally, Syca Gallen! Let's take a look."

The Capitol Seal flashed on the screen in green and yellow before switching to the sunny deck of the cruise ship. The screen showed Syca's dash to the Bloodbath, and his fighting with Persei for the axe. When Syca said "No," the crowd was just as surprised and excited as they had been when it had originally happened. Just seconds later, Daria was killed while they were running away by Attila. Syca's face betrayed panic, but he turned and ran away before Attila could take his life. It showed his breakdown after, staring at himself in the glass with his hefted axe, before slowly dropping it. It showed him receiving the first note from his secret admirer in the Capitol. It showed his fight with Ashlyn, and him receiving a first aid kit the day after. It showed him caring for his wounds the best he could, and then his reaction to the boat sinking. It showed him receiving the boat, running up and showing Riggs, and them sailing away together. It showed his heartfelt conversation with Riggs on the boat, and their approach to the empty temple before escaping together, vowing to find it. Now, it showed the present, where they were packing up to hunt for some food for dinner together. After the last loop of the anthem, the screen cut to Piccolo sitting with two adults in a well-lit living room.

"What a journey! Now I'm here with Syca's parents, Laurel and Abies Gallen." The two adults looked energetic and smiled as Piccolo thanked them for hosting him.

"It is a relief and an honor to have you," Abies said.

"It's hard to even find a place to start asking you questions!" Piccolo said, laughing. "I think that Syca has seen the most growth out of the tributes."

"He's changed," Laurel said. "He's grown a lot in a very short amount of time." She smiled, but her voice betrayed worry.

"Were you ever afraid that Persei would be the death of him?"

"He seemed to care about her a lot," Laurel said.

"That's who Syca is though, so caring and loving!" Abies said, smiling. "Or… Who he was. I… I hope he holds onto that part of him."

"He seems to have held onto that, considering his rushing to find Riggs when he received his sponsor present. Do you think Riggs is a good influence on him?"

"I would not have paired them together," Abies said, laughing. "The pre-Games revealed them to be very different."

"But I think Riggs is a very good young man," Laurel said. "I'm hoping that Riggs and Syca will both come out of the Arena in good standing."

"Do you think they could find the string before Cherio?" Piccolo's voice betrayed hopefulness.

"I think they both seem quite crafty. That Riggs, he's an out-of-the-box thinker. With his creativity and Syca's logical nature, they are certainly well-equipped to find it!" Abies said, smiling optimistically.

"Well, at this point only Lux Hastings himself knows where it is, so hopefully they will be able to find it."

"I have faith," Laurel said. "I can't imagine either of them winning alone."

"That's a strong thing to say, considering they only allied a day or so ago," Piccolo said.

"They both needed someone to latch onto, and now I can't imagine either letting go," Abies said. "Knowing Syca, he certainly won't, but Riggs seems like-hearted."

"Well, after the surprises Syca has shown the Capitol, I wouldn't put anything above him!" Piccolo said enthusiastically. "He's certainly seen a lot of growth, and I can't imagine anything stopping him now."

"He's certainly surprised us," Laurel said, smiling slightly.

"He's definitely made his District proud. After all, he's the youngest tribute left! His fellow fifteen-year-olds perished in the Bloodbath, after all, and he's made it here to the final eight."

"I always knew he had it in him, but that doesn't stop a Dad from worrying," Abies said.

"So have you been watching a lot?"

"Every second," Laurel said quietly.

"Well, you certainly weren't disappointed then!" Piccolo said. "And I'm sure I speak for the entire nation when I say that I'm excited to see what else he's going to do."

"Well, so are we," Laurel said. "Sure, we may be his parents, but he's started surprising even us."

"I wasn't surprised," Abies said, smirking playfully.

"Oh, shove it," Laurel said, giving her husband a grin and a light, teasing punch on the shoulder.

"Just saying," Abies said with a laugh and a toothy smile.

The interview continued with Syca's parents expressing their love and pride for him, a refreshing change of pace from the previous parent interviews. Piccolo thanked them, beaming, and shook their hands, before the next interview.

"Now I'm here with Camellia Gallen, Syca's sister!" The girl sitting across from Piccolo looked like her brother in the face, with longer, browner hair. She looked just as tired as her brother did at that moment, as well. "Welcome Camellia!"

"It's an honor to have you here," she said, smiling politely.

"So, you're one year older than Syca, right?"

Camellia nodded. "Yeah, that's right. But we might as well be twins," she said, grinning. "We practically have telepathy!"

Piccolo laughed. "Ah, I see. So, you're close then?"

"We're best friends, practically! I'm always the first to know about whatever's going on in his life." She gave a smirkish smile. "Which is why it's so weird being apart for him."

"Were you able to predict that he would fall for Persei?"

"Oh, for sure," Camellia said. "He just has a type."

"Oh, does he now?" Piccolo asked. "And what would that be?"

"Girls that are confident, for sure. And strong. Like his sister." Camellia made a face. "That sounded weird. I didn't mean it like that in a weird way."

"I think I understand," Piccolo said, laughing. "Continue!"

"He also tends to go for the rotten ones that don't see the amazing in him," Camellia said, "Which is exactly what happened."

"Well, I'm sure the moment your brother steps foot out of that Arena he'll be flocked with girls desperate to even touch his hand!"

"Fame comes with people wanting to use you though."

"Oh, and what makes you say that?" Piccolo asked.

"Well he'll be rich and famous, he'll have the title of Victor… People might love him for his fame, not for who he is." Camellia frowned.

"You seem concerned."

"I'm his sister. It's my job."

"Well, I understand that feeling," Piccolo said. "So, what do you think of this mysterious Capitol admirer that sent your brother gifts?"

"Well…" Camellia stroked her chin, in thought. "I'd have to meet her. She has a promising message but it might not be true. She has to be true."

"Well, hopefully once Syca wins, we'll be able to know for sure. So… Syca's said a lot about you. And he also mentioned that you're a big fan of the band Upward Voyager?"

"Ugh yes! Like… Syca got to just meet them! God, I was _so jealous_ when I saw that!"

Piccolo laughed. "As he said you would be."

"He knows me so well," she said, a good-natured smile back on her face.

The interview continued with Camellia talking about funny moments and memories with Syca, before the traditional final question.

"So, if you could say anything to Syca now, what would it be?"

"I would say… You better have gotten me at least an autograph from Wolf!" the crowd laughed along with Camellia and Piccolo on the screen. "But seriously… You've gone through so much. Too much to just give up. So you have to keep on going, for all of our sakes back home. You got this, Syca. You really, truly do. Victory is in sight. Grab it!"

"Such sweet words. Thank you so much for having me Camellia." Piccolo shook her hand, smiling, before the screen switched.

The next interview was with three people near Syca's age.

"Now I'm here with Syca's friends from District Seven. Here's Aconite Torenia, Senna Corydalis, and Helio Lupine! Thanks for being here. Why don't you tell us all how you know Syca, and for how long?"

Aconite spoke first. "Well, I've been friends with Syca for five years! We go to school together. We actually met because we were paired for a presentation in one of our classes. He struggled so much with public speaking back then, but just look at him now!" he beamed proudly.

Senna grinned. "I met him through Camellia," she said. "I've been best friends with Camellia since we were little, and I've become very close with Syca in the process, because those two are just so close."

Helio shifted awkwardly. "Um, Syca and I work together," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I've only known him for, like, a year or two."

"Wow, all so different! So Aconite, you mentioned that Syca had a problem with public speaking. How did he overcome it?"

"With a lot of practice and encouragement!" Aconite said. "Our first project together I did most of the talking, but after that I did my best to encourage him to raise his hand, speak in class and stuff. He always knew the answers, even when no one else did. He was usually just too shy to say it!"

"Yes, Syca's proven to have a lot of intelligence and logic over his time in the Games. I'm sure you were very proud when he spoke so well in front of the entire nation!"

"Oh yeah!" Aconite said, smiling. "Now if only he could be that smooth with girls."

"One step at a time," Senna said, and everyone laughed.

"So Senna, you said you've been friends with Camellia for a while, so I assume you've seen a lot of Syca's growth through the years?"

"That's right, I have. And he's continued to grow through this experience. He's far away from home and everything he knows, and yet he's done so well."

"Yes, it is definitely commendable how he's adapted and changed to fit certain situations."

"And I know that he will continue to adapt and grow until the very end of the Games, and beyond!"

"Well, I hope that's true. Too many Victors get trapped in bad habits. So, Helios, what's it like working with Syca? Did his work inspire his axe skills?"

Helios gave him a look like "duh," but remained civil. "Yeah, I'm sure. At first it was hard for either of us to even pick up the axes, let alone swing them. Now he's operating it like a pro. Although, fighting with an axe is definitely different than cutting down trees with one. So it probably took a whole lot of hard work on his part to master the skill."

"Well, we can all agree that Syca is nothing short of determined then, can't we?" They all nodded.

The interview continued this way, with Piccolo asking the friends individual questions and some general questions about Syca's strengths and best qualities until the final question.

"If you could, what would you say to Syca now?"

Aconite started. "Syca, I'm so proud of you! Don't give up now, it's far too late into the Game for any doubts and mistakes. You have to come back home, we're all counting on you buddy!"

Senna spoke second. "Syca, it's been such an honor to grow up with you and watch you develop into the fine young man you are today. Neither of us is done growing yet so you have to get back so that we can continue growing together. And you have to introduce me to Wolf sometime!" The crowd laughed as Helio started his.

"Syca, we haven't known each other too long, but there's no one else I'd rather mess around with instead of working." He gave a small nervous chuckle. "So that's why you have to come back. Although if you come back rich and famous then I guess you actually won't have to work anymore. But either way I'd still like to get to know you even better. So, yeah, best of luck to you man, we're all rooting for you."

"There you have it. Thank you all for hosting me!" Piccolo smiled and shook the hands of all three friends. "Next up, we'll meet the friends and family of our very own June Fisher! Let's have a look at her Arena journey."

The Capitol seal appeared on the screen colored orange, red, and black. The tribute in question was displayed on the screen for all to see, looking nervously at the Cornucopia. When the gong rang, June was shown running straight for the small orange square at the mouth of the Cornucopia that would later save her life. Jasper stayed behind her, making sure June grabbed the lifeboat before they escaped the Bloodbath with their allies. It showed her and her allies receiving their first sponsor gifts on the second day, where June was the only one to receive two. She put the first aid kit in her backpack and kept the bow and arrows around her back. Little did she know at the time, they would become useful to her later. It showed her various interactions with Jasper and their allies playing some games and trying to relax through the second day. Then, it showed the battle between her alliance and the Careers. It showed June rapidly firing arrows, and watching Jasper die in front of her eyes, running away after receiving the lifeboat from him.

It showed her breaking down the next day, shouting and yelling, bawling. Her allies comforting and quieting her. It showed the announcement that the boat was sinking, and June's quick escape. She repeatedly ran at the window, smashing her body into it throwing furniture at it, until the glass cracked and shattered. It showed her leaving Ollie and Kaelys, breaking the surface with a face drenched with water and dripping tears. It showed her lonely night on the boat, guided by the wind, spending her time rowing with tears rolling down her face. As soon as she saw Jasper's star she curled up in the boat, not looking up anymore, with nothing but the wind to guide her boat. And yet, somehow she was the first to hit land. She hurried to the temple, and after finding it empty, decided to climb a tree and wait for tributes to arrive. When Ester and Attila arrived, June aimed and fired the fatal shot that took Ester's life with an utterance that had become popular in the Capitol: "Prepare to know how it feels, bastard." Hands shaking, she tried to aim again, but couldn't get a good shot, so she used the branches and treetops to escape unharmed. The footage switched to her presently, where she was situated up in the mountains, eating some berries she'd found for lunch.

When the anthem ended, Piccolo was shown sitting with two tired-looking adults.

"Now I'm here with June's very own parents! Thank you both for hosting me!"

The Fishers smiled and nodded. "It's a pleasure to welcome you," June's dad said, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Did you ever imagine your daughter being given such an amazing opportunity as this?" Piccolo asked. "She could be the District's second Victor in a row! Perhaps District Nine will make a comeback in their number of Victors."

"I never thought June would be reaped," the woman said, fidgeting her hands nervously. "Ugh, if only it didn't take so long for her to see the errors in her ways."

"Errors in her ways?" Piccolo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate on that?"

"I always knew it was her reckless lifestyle that drove Jasper away," she sighed. "He was a good boy. He gave me hope that my daughter would finally settle down and do what she was made for."

"What she was made for?"

"Having a family. Juniper is now a mature woman, it was time for her to stop thinking about it. She had everything set: her loyal boyfriend, her health, even money. They could have sustained such a beautiful family together. If she hadn't ruined it by being…"

"Being…?" Piccolo frowned a bit.

"By being the same immature little girl she always has been."

"Well, I think she's realized where she went wrong. Surely you don't think your own daughter is completely useless."

"She had better come home prepared to grow up. If only she had listened to her mother when she still had the chance. Now she must face the consequences of her own actions. And she will always have to know that it is her fault. Nothing can change that."

"Surely she's forgiven though… Is she?"

"I wouldn't forgive her if I were him," she said. "She blatantly ignored everyone in her life that was trying to set her in the right direction, and now look at her. So twisted. And he's dead because of her as well."

"Surely you don't think this of your own daughter… Do you?" Piccolo asked, turning towards June's father.

"I think she has plenty left to do to change the world," he said, smiling a bit. "She made mistakes, but this is the Hunger Games. Sometimes you have to be self-serving. I would much rather have her home alive than dead, after all. She was just being a kid. But if she's sorry, which she is, I know my daughter. Then… Who can truly fault her?"

"Who can truly fault her!?" June's mother said, with a passive aggressive laugh. "Do you hear yourself!? For years we've all been trying to tell her she would fall from grace, but she was far too arrogant. _She_ knew what she was doing. It was all about her. She was a selfish little brat, that's what she was."

"But she's grown and changed!" Piccolo said. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"She will have to take the punishment. Then we'll see what's left of her." There was almost a satisfied tone in her voice, that made Piccolo frown a bit before zapping that energetic smile back on his face.

"Well, surely if she wins, she'll be able to build things back up. After all, she's already picked up her own broken pieces. With time and her determination…"

"That will not change the wrong she's done."

"But she will be able to do good," June's father said, crossing his arms.

"And who knows? Maybe she will be able to start a family someday, if she wants to. But even if she doesn't, she's still bound to do wonderful things. She seems very capable and she has a lot of drive. And in a position of power she'll be able to make Panem a better place."

"I'm confident in that," June's father said, giving a small smile.

"I'm confident as well! She… Will keep the legacy alive. For all of her friends and allies that fell before her." Piccolo's voice had gone quiet, and he patted his eyes with his shirt sleeves.

"I believe so too," June's father said, touching Piccolo's shoulder gently.

The interview went smoother from there, after June's mom had calmed down and June's father answered most of the questions. Piccolo was energetically smiling again by the end as he shook both parents' hands and thanked them for hosting him.

The next interview took place in a dusty, sunlight living room. Piccolo was now sitting across from a girl with light skin and light brown hair, slightly lighter than June's but shorter, pulled into a short ponytail.

"Now I'm here with June's best friend from back home, Connie Stark. Well Connie, are you ready for your national debut?"

Connie gives the camera a bright smile and a wink. "You know it!"

"Ah, that's wonderful to hear! It's always nice to have some people who aren't as camera shy!"

"Well, like June I'm not sure you exactly describe me as shy…"

Piccolo laughed. "Then this should be a fun and riveting interview! How long have you known June?"

"Hm…" Connie thought. "We met… Um… I can't remember when we met. We were kinda young. I dunno, we're not really the type of people that get all sappy about the past. We just get excited about the present, and focus on the future!"

"Well, I think that after all that's happened June may have more of an appreciation for the past. Do you think so? Or do you think she'll try to shut it away?"

Connie bit her lip. "That's… a hard question. I know June really well, but… Sometimes she can be really unpredictable. So… It could be either. Or both. But I do know that no matter what, she'll try to be a better person every day. I think that she's on the path to that now."

"It certainly seems so. Did you know what happened between her and Jasper?"

"Of course I did. We tell each other everything after all."

"Do you think you're the only one that knew?"

"…No. Um, I'm sure Jasper's close friends knew. But before that, yes, I was the only one."

"Ah. Well, around the Capitol there's been some speculation that perhaps June didn't only cheat on Jasper once."

Connie blinked. "Huh?"

"A lot of Capitolites believe that she was lying about herself and Prentice. That she's still harboring the guilt for not only cheating on Jasper the first time, but also the second."

"Th…That's ridiculous! What proof do they have?"

"Only the footage we saw during Jasper's interview."

Connie's hands were clenched into tight fists. "No way. June wouldn't do such a thing. It happened because she was drunk, wasted, and practically dragged to this other chick's house! She didn't really know what she was doing… She… No. She would have never cheated with Jasper sober. And she can do better than Prentice anyways."

"Better than Prentice Tholberg? Is there even such a person!?" Piccolo asked theatrically, and the audience laughed.

"Prentice has declined to comment. And yet he's working feverishly to get sponsors for a tribute that he's not even responsible for."

"You don't really believe that this is a thing, do you?" Connie asked, glaring and crossing her arms. "I would have thought more of you."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really buy it. I'm just playing devil's advocate here."

"Well, cut it out! I'm not here to defend the integrity of my best friend, I'm here to tell you exactly why she's going to kick ass and become a Victor someday. Please and thank you."

Piccolo was slightly stunned, but his grin got wider. "Now I see why you and June get along so well! Both unafraid to stand up for what you believe in! I believe that this is one of the reasons June's been able to get this far."

"She has so much sheer determination and willpower. I wouldn't be surprised if she finds the string just to destroy it."

"Do you think she has any idea where it is? After all, she was the first to discover the empty temple. And she did seem to know that the boat was sinking before it happened."

"I don't think she has a clue, but she probably has some ideas in that head of hers. And she'll try each and every one of them until she finds it."

"Don't you think that operating out of spite like that could be dangerous?"

"Maybe. But revenge is the greatest driving factor of them all. Besides, June's reckless nature may get her into trouble sometimes, but it's also the reason she's going to achieve what nobody else can. She's not afraid to take that risk."

"That is very true. Reckless courage can be rash, but it is still courage. And June could certainly use that part of herself to her advantage. She seems to know how to do that."

"Yeah, she's more strategic than you'd think. She's not a dumb girl, even if she seems like it. She's got a good mind, and it's always working."

"I think she's certainly proven that!" Piccolo said, pausing briefly to allow the crowd to applaud. Piccolo asked a few more questions before the traditional final question.

"So, what would you say to her, if you could?"

"I would say…" Connie thought. "He would forgive you. He really would, June. I believe that. And… I know that he wouldn't want you to throw away your chance doing something stupid for his sake. That's not Jasper. He wants you to win for him and help his family, and friends. He wants you to do good in the world in his name, not blame yourself. So you have to keep going, and win, so that you can do just that. I need you back, girl. It's your time to change the world."

Piccolo smiled. "Thank you so much for your time and presence Connie."

"Everyone help my girl out!" Connie said quickly, as Piccolo was shaking her hand. "Don't forget to throw your bets and sponsor money towards June Fisher!"

"Next up, we'll have a look at the Arena journey of District Ten's very own Attila of the Windy Plains! Let's see it!"

The screen switched to the Capitol seal, this time colored brown and gold. The hulking boy was shown running to the Cornucopia to get a weapon. It shows his checking up on Ester before killing Semper, not noticing Ester's fight with Riggs before killing Daria as she and Syca met up and were going to make an escape. His eyes darted around before the chaos ended. It showed him checking Ester's wounds, completely ignoring the fact that his District partner died. Then, it briefly showed the Careers adding Bec to their alliance. The next day, it showed his worrying for Ester and his receiving the number one drinking hat, which caused the alliance to laugh and have some friendly banter, with even Bec involved. Things quickly got serious again when the hat came off and Attila picked up his weapon, leaving the Capitolite crowd in awe of his power. It showed them walking around and hunting, as unsuccessful as that was. The next day, it showed their fight with the big alliance, and Attila's fight with Jasper while dodging arrows shot by June. Attila got the Victory, as a shocked Jasper threw the lifeboat to June before Attila struck him down.

It showed Bec quickly telling Attila and Ester he knew where Dania went, before the boat hit the iceberg. It showed Bec running the other way, and Attila about to go after him when Ester focused him on the process of finding a boat. Together the two of them went to the top deck, and seeing as they were unrivalled, got the first boat off of the cruise ship. It showed their long day rowing and never stopping. It showed Attila rowing even while Ester was asleep and he was exhausted, desperate to get to the island first. It showed Ester being shot by June, in an act of revenge, and Attila's panicked reaction, before he broke down over her body and ran to the woods in pursuit of what could have possibly killed her. Then, it showed him presently, laying with his eyes closed, trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered livelihood. Every once in a while he'd open one eye to look around, but couldn't muster the energy to get up.

After the anthem finished, the camera turned to Piccolo, who was in a sunny, well-lit, and well-decorated dining room.

"Now I'm here with Attila's parents, Gaius and Camilla of the Windy Plains. Thank you for so graciously opening your doors to me today!"

Gaius just grunted, but Camilla managed a smile.

"We're very glad to have you here," she said.

"I'd say that Attila definitely surprised and impressed our audiences for a plethora of reasons! But let's start with his unique name! He's one of few tributes in history that didn't have a last name like you'd expect. What's the origin of that?"

"It's family tradition," Gaius said gruffly. "From the time of our ancestors, many of whom were from the Capitol, it has been traditional to use the city of residence for their surname."

"You say you're from a lineage of Capitolites… Tell me, how did you end up here, in District Ten?"

"Our family put a lot of money into meat processing companies here, and after some scandals of thievery were happening under those gnarly District supervisors my grandfather decided to come here, to make sure that nothing was being taken. We have remained here ever since."

"Do you think you would ever want to move back to the Capitol?"

"I would like to visit," Gaius said. "After all it is our family's home. But I'm not allowed." He sneered.

"Because you're legally a District citizen by birth?"

Gaius made a face, as if the thought was painful for him. "Yes."

"So you've never visited the Capitol?"

"I grew up in this shithole," he growled.

Piccolo looked around the large, ornate dining room that was air-conditioned and decorated with a large, glimmering, crystal chandelier. "Well, it seems like you've made yourself a comfortable residence anyways. So, Camilla, are you a District citizen then?"

"No, I'm actually born of District Two," she said. "My father travelled here as a Peacekeeper, and brought me, his only daughter, with him. Our families became quick partners, and friends, and soon Gaius and I were married."

"Well, I hope it wasn't a forced marriage!" Piccolo said.

"It was not," Gaius said, glancing over at Camilla. "We were just very close family friends."

"Well, that's quite a unique story of your love! Fate works out amazingly, doesn't it?"

Gaius grunted, but Camilla gave a small nod.

"However, Attila's interesting surname wasn't the first thing we noticed about him that surprised us… After all, he's a volunteer from District Ten! And my oh my has he proven formidable. Did you know he had an intention of volunteering?"

"I thought he might have," Camilla said. "After all, he spent so much time training for it-" she covered her mouth, but Piccolo laughed.

"No need to be afraid of talking about training. After all, it's been almost three years since training for the Games was legalized and Districts that trained before were given amnesty. It must be quite a change to make."

"Talking about training on television has always been taboo, even in District Two. I was taught to never do it, so… Yes. It is… Quite strange. To go against how I was conditioned."

"Well, things are always changing so I'm sure you'll get used to it! But yes, you said Attila trained a lot?"

"From the time he was young," Gaius said. "We had him and his brother put in District Ten's best Academy, which is nothing like the glorious ones of the Careers. But it was something. Camilla and I poured much money into it, and used ties to get resources as well."

"So you say that Attila was training ever since he was young… Does that mean District Ten had training centers before legalization as well?"

"Some, yes. But they were small and had nothing. Which is why Camilla and I decided to help however we could."

"Well, it appears as if all the money and time spent certainly paid off. It is unarguable that Attila is by far the strongest tribute in the Arena. And the most vicious."

Camilla smiled, her eyes glinting with pride. Gaius just nodded.

"Well, if he doesn't win he is a disgrace, so he has a lot to fight for."

"Attila was always the kind to care about his family name," Camilla said.

"Well, he's certainly done a good job so far!"

"It will not be a good job until he is a Victor," Gaius said sternly. "He should not be praised until he wins."

Camilla frowned slightly at that but soon smiled again. The parents answered a few more questions about Attila and their family before the interview concluded. The next interview happened in the same room, this time with a boy younger than Attila.

"Now I'm here with Marcius of the Windy Plains, Attila's younger brother! Thank you so much for being here Marcius."

"It's really an honor!" Marcius said, smiling proudly. "I knew you'd come around after Attila volunteered! He's the strongest person I've ever seen!"

"Ah, so you'd say you have a good relationship with your older brother?"

Marcius gave him a big smile and nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Attila helps me out a lot when we train together, and I always knew he would be a good Victor. He's just such an easy fighter, you know?"

"He's definitely proven that. I'm sure that of all the tributes left, he is the most feared."

"Yeah he is!" Marcius said, beaming. "He's so brave."

"He's definitely proven that," Piccolo said. "Do you think losing Ester will affect his chances?"

"I…" Marcius's smile faded slightly. "I hope not… I-I'm sure he'll be alright soon! He'll realize what's really important here."

"Well, I sure hope he does it fast. He's running out of time."

"Attila's pretty unpredictable sometimes…" Marcius said. "As I'm sure you know. I'm sure any minute he'll pop up and be just fine again." His voice trailed off slightly at the end.

"Well, brother knows best, so I bet you're right!"

"Of course," Marcius said quietly.

"So, do you ever want to follow in his footsteps?"

Marcius took a long time to speak again. "Um, maybe. I… Don't know." He seemed tense and wrung his hands together in his lap.

"Well, you'll have some time to think about it!"

Marcius nodded slightly.

"But no more of that, let's keep talking about Attila! What do you think is his greatest advantage over other tributes, besides his brute strength?"

Marcius considered, the smile slowly appearing back on his face. "He's totally fearless. He doesn't think before jumping in, so he won't hesitate to do what needs to be done. The others… They're all too nice. They worry about what they have to do to get out, and think too much about the consequences and not enough about the reward. Attila, though, he knows the reward, and he doesn't focus on all the bad stuff. He just wants to win. Even if he doesn't want to kill, he will because he knows it's them or him, and he wants to live."

"Well, I think you're right. Let's hope he can get that mindset back before it's too late for him."

"He will," Marcius said. "He has to."

The interview got more lighthearted after that, with Piccolo asking for some happy memories and asked Marcius's opinion on the soda drinking hat. The final question came after Marcius finished laughing about that hat.

"So, what would you say to Attila now, if you could."

"I'd just say… Get it back. Get back into your own skin, and remember who you are. You lived so long without her and you were fine. You can be fine without her again. Please."

"Some wise advice. Thank you so much again for being here Marcius!" Piccolo shook his hand, smiling, as the next interview came up on the screen.

This one took place in a smaller but still well-lit living room. Piccolo was sitting with three boys Attila's age. "Now I'm here with Attila's posse from back home! Here's Herakles Bin, Robin Macentire and T _ý_ r Salinas! Thank you, all of you, for being with me here today!"

"It was only a matter of time," Herakles said calmly, smirking.

"We always knew you'd be around!" Robin said, so loudly he was practically shouting.

"Cool it, man," Herakles said, rolling his eyes slightly.

"I'm just excited, geez," Robin said, with a puff of air.

"I think it's understandable to be excited. After all, this is your live television debut!"

"Hell yeah!" Robin said with a loud laugh, causing Herakles and T _ý_ r to exchange a glance.

"We're here to talk about Attila, you dumbass," Herakles said decisively.

"That is true. But you can't help but enjoy the stardom. But yes, Attila. How about you each tell us how you met Attila and when?"

"I've known Attila since we were kids. My mother was Peacekeeper that got knocked up by someone from the District. She named me and raised me on her own, in District Two style."

"Well, it seems that there are many migrants in District Ten!"

"Not very many, but we find each other," Herakles said. "With names and dispositions like ours, we stick together."

"And how about you Robin? Are you not native as well?"

"Oh no, I'm native. My father serves as a secretary and advisor for the mayor, so after he accepted the job our family moved to Attila and Herakles's neighborhood. There aren't a lot of rich neighborhoods like ours in Ten, after all."

"Ah, I see. I noticed that your neighborhood is quite close to the Victor's Village."

"Yes, that will be quite a nice perk when Attila returns," Herakles said.

"And how about you, T _ý_ r? How did you meet Attila?"

"Well, um, I'm not from their neighborhood. My parents just work really hard so that I could be able to go to the big Academy funded by these guys' families. I met them about a year ago, when my parents were able to pay to enroll me. And after showing my skills I can go there on a scholarship for half price."

"This guy may be the youngest, but he's tough!" Robin said, slapping him on the back.

"I see. It seems you're a hard worker then. So, tell me, do you plan to fight in the Games next year?"

"I… Haven't decided yet. We'll see. I'm not worrying about next year until this year is over."

"That makes sense," Piccolo said. "After all, you still have to worry about Attila and all."

"I'm not worried," Herakles said, smirking. "Have you seen his competition? Attila's taken down stronger, bolder, and more vicious fourteen-year-olds."

"Marcius said that Attila's competition is too nice. I take it you all agree?"

The boys all nodded quickly.

"For sure," T _ý_ r said.

"It's kinda a shame though. There are some hot ones," Robin said, his smirk only growing when Herakles gave him a look and T _ý_ r hit him on the shoulder.

"Do you guys think that his chance for Victory may suffer now that Ester's gone?"

"No way," Herakles said. "Girls have tried to get him before, and he's never let them chain him down. And this one is no different."

"Attila's too self-servient for that," Robin said. "He never thinks about the boo hoo stuff."

"Do you think the Games and his time with Ester could have changed that?"

"No way!" Robin said, back to a shouting voice, which caused the others to give him a look.

"Attila's too survivalist for that," T _ý_ r said. "That's why he has a better chance at Victory than anyone."

"Well, hopefully his being alone won't put him at a disadvantage if faced with a pair of tributes."

"It won't," Herakles said. "He's taken on two, sometimes three opponents at a time at the Academy."

"It seems he was quite serious about training."

"Soooo serious," Robin said. "He wouldn't have any fun!"

"Your idea of fun is getting hammered and waking up naked next to some shocked pansy of a guy," Herakles said, rolling his eyes.

"Or girl, I'm not picky!" Robin said with a grin, causing Herakles and T _ý_ r to sigh in an exasperated manner.

"So Attila never had a partner before the Games, right?"

"Nope, he was pretty focused on training," T _ý_ r said. "And hopefully he'll continue to have his eyes on the prize until the end."

"Do you suppose he thought Ester was his prize?"

The three boys went silent for a while, all of them staring at the ground.

"I don't know," T _ý_ r said quietly.

"No," Herakles said. "I won't believe that. He has to know that there's far better things than some silly girl."

"I dunno, she was _pretty_ hot."

Herakles punched Robin's shoulder, so hard the dark-haired boy cringed. "Can you shut _up_ about that shit!?" he asked. His fists were clenched tightly. The tension remained for the rest of the interview, up until the final question.

"If you could say something to him right now, what would it be?"

T _ý_ r was the first to speak. "I would say… You're almost there, man. So, keep at it. You know what to do."

Robin spoke next. "I would say that there are still two totally hot and available girls out there buddy! Okay, so maybe not Nine, considering, ya know, you killed her boyfriend and she killed your girlfriend. But there's still that piece of booty from One! Oh, and there's still hot guys left, plenty of them! So… There are plenty of fish in the sea, dude! So just because you lost one doesn't mean you can't rebound! That's the way to do it! Rebound, find the string, and yay! Everyone's happy!"

Herakles cut him off before he could say anything else. "I would say to not listen to that idiot. You know who you are Attila! You can't let one person ruin you! Remember, you're the one that's _above_ that shit! And you've always been! Come on man, you know better than this! So stop whining around like a little baby and finish this! Don't be stupid now! It's just being unfair to everyone that put so much time and money into you. Bring honor to yourself, and you'll get power, fame, wealth, independence, all you ever dreamed of! _That's_ what you want! _That's_ what you've always wanted! So stop with this bullshit and get home!"

Piccolo looked shocked as he shook all three guys' hands and thanked them again before saying, "Back to you, Viola!"

The screen switched to where the girl was sitting at her desk, smiling. "Thank you so much Piccolo. And what an amazing set of interviews we've seen! Eight remain, and with the string still hidden, anyone could win! Stay tuned to see what happens next! As always, evening mandatory viewing begins at five o'clock and continues until nine. You don't want to miss it! Have a great afternoon, Panem!"

The Capitol seal appears on the screen one last time, this time colored silver, before disappearing and resuming the live Games footage. The Capitolites applaud, and many go off to rework their betting and go back to the air-conditioned comfort of their homes to watch the rest of the action unfold.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Ah, and there's the rest of the final 8 interviews! So excited to get back to the action, the Games are far from over and there are plenty of action-packed scenes yet to come. My final plan for the story is coming together nicely, but with sponsoring and my flighty nature, anything could happen really! So make sure you keep on using those points, because they really do affect the plot.**_

 _ **So, there will be some price changes and a new item added to the list, so hurrah! If you PMed me about sponsor gifts before this chapter, you'll get them at the original price, not the raised one.**_

 _ **Also, thank you so much to the Guest that reviewed "My Chemical Romance" because that gave me a good laugh XD**_

 _ **Also also, I'm going to put up a poll for who you all think should be Victor! I will take it into account but as we've seen I usually go by my own instinct, and I have some ideas. But yeah, vote on it and that will be much appreciated!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as last chapter: Which tribute's interview group was most interesting? Favorite individual interview? Any surprises about the tribute's families?**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 180**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 65**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **TheAmazingJAJ: 405**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 110**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 285**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 135**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 126**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 73**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 209**_

 _ **goldie031: 309**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **later. glader: 260**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 34**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mr. Panem: 4**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Notary Sojac: 4**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 85**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 339**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 49**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **And now, the updated prices for sponsor gifts:**_

 ** _Battery (for flashlight/lanterns): 30_**

 ** _Small Canteen (Empty): 45_**

 ** _Large Canteen (empty): 50_**

 ** _Hat: 45_**

 ** _COOL Hat: 46_**

 ** _Blanket: 60_**

 ** _Towel: 75_**

 ** _Socks/shoes/shirts/extra articles of clothing: 80_**

 ** _Compass: 85_**

 ** _Pillow: 85_**

 ** _Functioning Flashlight: 95_**

 ** _Sunscreen: 100_**

 ** _Basic First-Aid Kit: 115_**

 ** _Small Canteen (with water): 115_**

 ** _Well-functioning Lantern: 145_**

 ** _Bandages: 150_**

 ** _Iodine (to disinfect water): 150_**

 ** _Simple foods (bags of jerky, crackers, or dried fruit): 155_**

 ** _Matches: 155_**

 ** _Large Canteen (with water): 250_**

 ** _Functioning Sleeping Bag: 255_**

 ** _Night-vision goggles: 400_**

 ** _Knife: 410_**

 ** _High-Quality Food (bread from a District, meat, broth/soup): 510_**

 ** _Tribute's Favorite Capitol Meal: 600_**

 ** _Complex First-Aid Kit: 650_**

 ** _Medicine: 700_**

 ** _Tribute's weapon of choice: 750_**

 ** _Arena Map: 900_**

 _ **Final Eight Interview Scroll (A written compilation of what the tributes' friends and families wanted to tell them from the interviews): 1000**_

 _ **Thank you for all your support! I'll see you all next chapter!**_


	43. Day 8: Into the West

_The eighth day_

* * *

-Wicke Valentine, 18, District 1-

So her plan hadn't killed Chance like she thought it would. _Stupid bastard._ If only he hadn't romanced another tribute that knew how to swim. Then she definitely would have gotten him. But no, Nerio surely saved the day for them.

Wicke couldn't help but clench her fists hard enough that her short nails made slight welts in her palm. She thought that maybe, she could have revenge, in the name of everyone she cared about. Dania had to die in a humiliating and helpless way, due to some disgusting dirty play, and as much as Wicke believed in an honorable fight, she knew the only way she could outsmart Chance and Nerio together was through some kind of trick.

Even if Wicke knew deep inside that dirty play was a part of getting out of the Arena alive, she would never admit it. She knew that it was all part of the game, but at this point her anger and spite was the best motivator she had. There were so many people that needed to be served justice and Wicke was going to make sure she would do it personally.

She had to avenge both of her allies, both of the District Two tributes. While she didn't care how the redheaded bastard from Three met his end, Wicke was devoted to killing Chance herself. After all, Bec had killed Dania in a fight. Even though he ended it with a dirty trick, he still won. Chance had killed Acacia, the one Wicke was fighting for, without giving her a chance to fight back. And for that Wicke would never forgive the coward. He needed to see the light of justice. Wicke would be damned if he continued to live on in his corrupt throne, wearing the crown with his loyal lapdog by his side.

The unveiling of the string, which was somewhere, made this even more important for Wicke. For the past two days, her mind has wandered to Acacia, how they could have won together if her chance hadn't been stolen away so unfairly. But because of Chance and his dirty tricks, they didn't even get the chance to spend one more day together. What Wicke would have given for one more day with the person that made her feel alive. What she would have given for a single hour more with the person that put light in Wicke's eyes and gave her purpose. What she would have given to spend just one more minute with the one Wicke thought she very well could have been made to be with. But no. In a blink of an eye Wicke's future had come crashing down, and it was all his fault. And now, knowing that there was a chance that they could have gotten out of this together, only makes the flames burn hotter in Wicke's chest. Wicke would do anything at this point to make sure that Chance didn't get the satisfaction of leaving the Arena with Nerio.

She wanted him to feel the pain she felt. She wanted him to feel the desperation and heartbreak that he felt on that day. She wanted to see the pretty boy couple burn in the flames, and she wanted to be the one that made it all descend into hell, exactly where they both belonged.

Chance and Nerio were just another couple of people for Wicke to prove wrong. The list was ever-growing. She knew that her parents and brother probably weren't the supportive, cooperative family Chance most certainly had. She knew that there weren't people that had faith in her back home. They all thought Chance was going to win, and that Wicke was going to self-destruct. They probably thought Wicke was making a bad choice volunteering, just like her own family. There was a whole District of people to prove wrong.

Then there was the Capitol. Sure, Wicke had a fanbase before the Games. But most of those people were the ones that really liked Acacia, and only liked Wicke by association. They probably thought that Wicke was nothing without Acacia. And while it certainly felt that way sometimes, when Wicke's mind wandered too much, she also knew that she was her own person. And she had to prove that to the crowds watching at home, who were all betting on the golden boys Chance and Nerio. She was going to dethrone them. What other choice did she have if she wanted to win?

She was sure that Chance's family was absolutely glowing, and talking about their wonderful son who was volunteering a year early because that was just how damn _talented_ he was. His parents were probably _raving_ about their perfect son, who had made them so proud by fulfilling his destiny and volunteering. Just the thought of it made Wicke's blood boil. She had worked just as hard as him, if not harder, and she would never get the same recognition and praise as him because she was born to two idiots that refused to look at her because her older brother had to be too _perfect_ and _talented_.

Wicke was ready to prove all of them wrong. Dammit, she was going to be a million times more successful than Elton, and at a younger age as well! And if that still wasn't enough, it wouldn't matter. Wicke would be living well and she knew that her parents' pride would tumble if she mentioned their constant annoyance with her and shitty parenting on television. She was determined to make them wish they had taken ownership of their daughter before it was too late. They'd come crawling back to her, telling her how proud they were and pampering her, and Wicke would show them the beautiful front door of her gigantic mansion in the Victor's Village, right next door to Clear Roberts. She could practically feel the crown on her head, the flames licking her heart as she stood up tall and locked eyes with President Blossius, thanking him for the honor of being crowned a Victor.

That thought, of her hair being styled in braids, a crown resting delicately in smooth, silky hair with no dirt, no tangles, and no frizz. The thought of being clean, of her teeth being brushed and being able to cover up in an actual blanket that night, and take a shower, God, a shower. And wear clothes that didn't reek of sweat and salt water. Her shoes and socks were still drying out. She had to wear them while climbing up the rocky mountains, but now that she was taking a break she had them set out in the sun, hoping they would be dry by the time she put them back on. Her hair and clothes were still damp, with water and sweat, and they stuck to her body and peeled. And ugh, her bra was so wet, and stuck to her chest. She wanted to strip, hoping that the sun would dry everything, but she felt far less than comfortable doing that while knowing she was on live television. There were probably plenty of creeps that would be waiting to see her strip, and Wicke was not about to give them the satisfaction.

At least the sun was warm. As she went up the rocky mountains, the temperature was cooling and the breezes were getting cooler, but the warmth of the sun on her skin was enough to at least keep her going.

Just the thought of being back in a civilized society, where dry clothes were always waiting, where a full, warm, hearty meal could be delivered to her in a matter of seconds… Wicke's mouth watered. The Academy simply couldn't prepare them for how much they would miss the real world, when they weren't living in the woods. God, a toilet. Wicke just wanted a fucking _toilet_. She wanted actual toilet paper, because leaves were really not good enough. She was glad that the tributes were put on birth control upon arriving to the Capitol, that stopped their periods naturally. She couldn't imagine going through the Games with a waterfall of blood flowing constantly. Not to mention the cramps, fatigue, constant munchies, and PMS.

Wicke knew that she would have to start making fires and cooking herself meat. Luckily, she'd seen various bunnies and rodents, even one creature that looked like some kind of goat. She knew that it would be risky starting a fire, but now that Ester was gone Attila was alone, and the only pair left was Chance and Nerio. And if they came after her, she'd be ready to fight. Maybe they outmatched her in boyish charm and strength, but Wicke had a strategic brain. And she was definitely going to use her gymnastic background to her advantage.

While Wicke's shoes and socks were drying, she did some stretches on the flattest land she could find. It felt good to stretch. She had been alternating sleeping for an hour or so at a time, and keeping watch in the night. After trying to get comfortable so much, her neck and back were a bit sore. Plus, stretching was a good way to wake up. There were small ponds around the moutains, and while Wicke knew she would need iodine to clean it, she could still safely splash her face with it. When she picked up her socks, she huffed when feeling that they were still slightly damp, as were her shoes. She begrudgingly slid them back on, sighing. This was all part of the game, though. Soon the discomfort would give way to a life far more comfortable than Wicke could have ever imagined. She just had to keep remembering that.

Wicke ate some berries she'd been able to pick for breakfast. Her stomach rumbled and grumbled when she put them in her mouth, practically begging her for something better than those stupid berries. She sighed as she realized that the only way to keep her stomach from gurgling and hurting all day would be by putting something more substantial than berries in it. Wicke took her weapons and collected her supplies, mouth watering at the thought of some delicious fat rabbit meat for lunch.

With that thought and many others in her mind, Wicke continued hiking up the mountain, searching for lunch.

~.~.

-Chance Magnusun, 17, District 1-

The Academy was an amazing and tremendous place, it really was. It taught Chance how to fight, anything he could possibly know about survival, and prepared him for the Games by educating him on Games past. The Academy really did wonders. But nothing at the Academy prepared him for the amount of pain he was in. It was constant, never stopping, and every movement irritated some wound in some way. Sometimes he could feel them seeping, and Nerio would help him sit up and pat it out.

Nerio, as unlikely as it seemed, was actually a pretty good nurse. He was attentive to Chance and had learned to ignore when Chance would just start swearing to himself because of the throbbing pain. It felt like his body was on fire, and it wasn't going to go away any time soon. The first aid kid was some help, but just barely, because there wasn't much real medicine in there. Sure, it was important to use alcohol to disinfect, but the alcohol hurt and Chance was not fond of it. But it was necessary.

Nerio had given him the new T-shirt they'd received from a sponsor, and a new pair of underwear they'd received from a sponsor. If Chance were watching, he probably would have laughed and thought it a silly gift, but after taking off his torn shorts and torn boxers and stepping into a dry, fresh pair of boxers, Chance realized he would have far rather had the boxers than a new pair of shorts. The underwear was a kind Chance knew well, they used it in the Academy all the time to avoid chafing while running in the heat of the summer. Chance couldn't imagine having to deal with that at a place like this. He wondered if the outer District tributes had ever even seen something like it before. He wondered if it was a weird adjustment to make. Then he wondered why he was even thinking about this.

The old underwear could have been used as a bandage if it wasn't still damp from salt water, so they just put it back in their backpack.

Nerio had taken the last watch of the night, and it showed. As much as he tried to hide it, the boy just looked tired. And Chance couldn't blame him. He had been working hard, after all. Chance could still barely get up and walk, as much as he hated to admit it.

He couldn't help but feel so damn useless. After he'd gotten injured Chance hadn't done a single thing for the alliance. It was a miracle he was able to even walk to the temple. That was what pure adrenaline and desperation did. Once it wore off, Chance couldn't even make himself stand up. He was so exhausted, all the time, and everything hurt. If it wasn't searing or burning, it was aching and sore. As much as Chance tried to stand up so that they could continue hunting, it was obvious that he'd need a day or two before he could even walk on his own. At least.

How was Chance supposed to protect Nerio like this? Chance could barely fend for himself. How was he supposed to be useful, how was he supposed to be a good teammate? It was going to take time that Chance was afraid they just didn't have. And looking at Nerio's tired face, exhausted by the effort it took to care for two people on his own, Chance's heart felt cold.

"Here, hold still, let's get some more sunscreen on you," Nerio said. Even his voice lacked life.

"No, let me-"

"Chance, please. I don't want to get it in any wounds, just let me do it."

"I can do it, give me the bottle." Chance reached out his arm, keeping the pain off his face.

"It's no big deal, just let me-"

"I don't want to burden you anymore! Just give me the bottle!" Chance threw his weight forward, trying to take it, and winced as his back and sides burned with pain.

"Chance-"

"Just let me do it. I can't have you sapping all the life out of yourself for my sake."

"That's not what's happening."

"Just give it to me. I can manage myself," Chance said, trying to keep his voice from sounding tense. "I can fend for myself. That's why we're here after all. I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for you. You've done your part."

"You still look pale," Nerio said. "It's no big deal, just let me put the damn sunscreen on you."

Chance scowled, and upon seeing his expression Nerio drew back, his lips going into a frown.

"Come on, I'm not going to be deadweight anymore. We're in the Hunger Games, after all. So just let me do it for heaven's sake," Chance immediately felt bad for snapping at him, his face turning into a frown. "Nerio, I-I'm sorry. Please, just… I don't want to weigh you down. I… Don't want you to lose your chance because of me, alright?"

Nerio frowned. "Is that how you think of this?"

"How else would I?"

"We're a team, Chance. That means that I'm going to help you if you you're down, no matter what. Wouldn't you do the same for me?"

"Of course…"

"You're not deadweight. We just hit a roadblock. But let's not act like you haven't saved me at all since getting here."

"I haven't. I've been pretty useless up to this point. Just like my family always thought."

Nerio gave Chance an earnest look and leaned in closer. "Well, you have." His eyes flicked away from Chance's for a second. "More than you know." He leaned down and gently kissed Chance's lips, then pulled back and kissed his forehead softly. Chance could feel Nerio's lips form a small smile against this forehead, which he quickly copied.

"I bet it's super sweaty up there."

"A little," Nerio teased. "But I don't mind."

"It's nice." Chance laughed a little bit.

"Seriously though. Don't you ever think that I see you as a burden. I'd do anything if it meant keeping you safe. And we're going to heal you up, find the string, and take the Games by storm."

"I… I sure hope so."

"Hope is all we need."

Chance smiled a bit. "Yeah. Hope."

"And trust me. You've, um…. You saved me, um, more than you know."

Chance gave a slightly teasing smirk. "Yeah, so you said. You big sappy-"

"I love you."

Chance could have sworn his heart stopped beating in that moment. "Wh…" Chance looked at the shock on Nerio's face, the thoughts flying around his head that Chance could see in his eyes. Chance's heart started pounding, harder and faster, when he realized that it wasn't an act. He could see it in Nerio's face, in his eyes, that it was real. It was so very real. Chance couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. Nerio Thames loved him! Actually loved him! And he was blushing so darkly that Chance couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, quit laughing," Nerio said, scowling and looking away.

"No no!" Chance said quickly. "It's not like that… It's a happy laugh. Because I love you too Nerio. Now can you please bring that pouty face over here so I can kiss it?"

Nerio's pout immediately changed into a grin as he sat on Chance's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Chance was never one to be cliché, but there was something different about this kiss. Something much more real, something that was both terrifying and exciting to Chance all at the same time. It was real. This was very real. No longer was it an act for the cameras. This was something so real. And that was so exciting for Chance. Chance, who had never had the courage to step out of the closet at the same time as another guy, or even touch another guy in public. Chance, who never felt like he could be Chance, always felt like he had to be someone bigger and better than he actually was. But this was so very real. This was the real Chance, feeling real feelings for a real person that felt real feelings back. It was the happiest moment of Chance's life. He tried his best to not grin into the kiss, but soon both of them were smiling so wide they couldn't even kiss, so they just stayed there, smiles pressed together, foreheads together, noses touching, hearts pounding, and lived in that moment. That amazing, spectacular, absolutely irreplaceable moment, where two hearts beat at the same tempo and two smiles stretched so wide it was practically ear-to-ear. Soon, though, the realization of where they were settled back in, and Chance was hit with a cold fear. What would he possibly do if he lost Nerio now? It was a feeling Chance wasn't sure he could possibly bear. But for that moment, he decided he would forget about it. Put it behind him, smile and laugh a little. Maybe that wasn't the completely noble thing to do, or the thing his parents and District would want him to do, or the thing that he should do, but Chance did it anyways. He needed to cling to this moment of perfect happiness. Just for a few seconds longer.

By the way Nerio stayed gingerly on his lap, gently stroking the top of his hair, which was so long and untidy and greasy at this point, stroking his sideburns and the short, prickly stubble that had begun to grow in the absence of a razor. Chance noticed how much Nerio looked like a werewolf with his scraggly facial hair and his bronze hair grown out. But he loves that werewolf-looking dork so much. And he knew that he'd be in deep trouble if he lost him. Which was both exciting and scary at the same time.

Nerio leaned forward slowly and whispered in his ear, so quietly Chance wasn't even sure the Capitol could hear.

"Do you really mean it Chance? Please tell me… For real."

Chance pressed his lips to Nerio's ear, not trying to hold back the smile that was on them. "Yes. One hundred percent real, my darling." Chance could feel Nerio's cheek press against his as a smile spread across his face. Nerio slowly and gently kissed him again, and Chance kissed back passionately. The kiss could have never lasted long enough, and when it was over Chance was still smiling.

"I'm sorry if I've been…. Unfair to you at all… I just feel so strongly and didn't want anyone to come between us and…" Chance couldn't find the words. He had this sinking feeling, thinking back. He hadn't exactly been a great partner all the time.

"Sh…" Nerio said quietly. "You live and you learn. We'll figure this out together, okay?" He smiled again, and Chance melted, smiling and nodding.

"Okay, now that that's settled, how about some lunch?"

Chance nodded quickly. "I think it may be a bit early for that, though."

"Well, actually, I was thinking that I might go hunting for lunch?"

"Hunting?" Chance asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Aren't you sick of all the same-old same-old foods we've been eating? I saw some huge bunnies yesterday and I've been thinking about real, actual meat all day. Come on, what do you say?"

"That sounds so good," Chance said.

"Then you sit tight, and I'll go get some." Nerio smiled, and Chance smiled back slightly. Sure, Nerio looked pale, his eyes were dark and slightly sunken in, but he looked more alive than Chance had ever seen him.

"Are you sure you want to go alone? You might run into dangers…"

"I'll be alright. Will you be okay?"

"I can manage."

"Good." Nerio smiled slightly. "I won't be gone for long at all. You have a knife or two handy, and I'll be back in a flash."

"Alright…" Chance felt cold and empty when Nerio got up off his lap. "Just be careful. And come back quickly."

"I'll be back before you can say Cherio sixty times."

Chance laughed. "I'll be talking quickly then."

"I'll see you soon." Nerio leaned down to kiss the top of his head before walking away from their temporary camp. "And Chance?"

"Eh?"

Nerio smiled. "I love you."

Chance let out a happy sigh and smiled back. "I love you too."

~.~.

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs never thought he would be looking for the string.

Sure, maybe he would have considered trying to find it if he were still with Joule, but Riggs wasn't about to lose his chance if Joule didn't carry through. Joule would have been a risk, because Chance was so revenge-thirsty and Joule was his number one target. Riggs would have definitely hesitated. He wasn't about to lose his chance to get back to the people that have been there his entire life for the sake of someone he'd only known for a week. Right?

But now, here he was. Looking for the string with the youngest tribute left, one of the youngest to be pulled out of the reaping bowl. Riggs never would have guessed it would have been like this, but he wanted to find it. Something about the younger boy just made him worth saving to Riggs. Maybe it was the fact that he was still discovering so much about himself and the world. Maybe it was the fact that he took down one of the top competitors with nothing but his will. Riggs wasn't sure what it was, but he saw something in Syca. The two were different as could be, with Syca younger, still in school, and having more life to live, while Riggs was going to graduate (well, maybe, if he could have pulled his grades up, which was looking doubtful), and go into the workforce. But something about Syca made Riggs want to get him out of here. So… If they could find the red string… It would be put to good use.

Riggs could see that as Syca was growing, he was also becoming bolder. Riggs didn't want him to go without having the chance to really explore the world. Riggs wanted Syca to have the chance to really push his boundaries. Maybe try jumping on the back of a train. But if they were Victors together, there were so many possibilities. Perhaps jumping off a cliff into the ocean, or going out surfing. Or, think bigger, ziplining! Or maybe parachuting, or skiing, or skydiving! Oh, yes, Riggs wanted to go skydiving! And he was pretty sure he could convince Syca to do it with him.

As much as Riggs was hesitant at first, he was sure that Syca was thrown his way for a reason. Their mentors were sure they would work together well, and so far they've been a good team. Syca showed Riggs the note he got from a Capitol admirer, and Riggs showed Syca the note _he'd_ received from a Capitol admirer, resisting the urge to happily rip it up. He had someone much, much better than whoever had sent that note. And he was back home, waiting for Riggs. He was actually going to wait. They were actually going to have a shot. _Riggs_ was going to have a shot with the funniest, most hard-working, quirkiest, sexiest man he'd ever met, and it was all waiting for him back home. Riggs had absolutely no idea why Gian would have chosen someone like him, but he wasn't going to question it and he certainly wasn't complaining. Riggs was over the moon now. The only thing left to do was to finish these Games and get back home. Which would be an easier task with an ally.

But at this point, Riggs was ready to lose everything, as long as he had Gian in the end. And with the assurance that he would, Riggs was ready to fight harder than ever to make sure that he got back home. He was just so desperate for home. Desperate for his brothers, for Neeka and Torrin, even for frumpy Mordecai. He felt desperate to see his parents again. His parents, who never gave a shit about him. Riggs almost felt mad that he was so desperate to see their faces again. But he couldn't help it. They were home. They were his _parents_.

He missed every single thing about home, the things he liked, the things he didn't like. He missed it all. Because even the worst parts about District Six were far better than this place. This place was just hell. And Riggs was sure he and Syca were going to have to experience much more hell before it was all over. As much as Riggs wanted to protect Syca from the sights, the gore, the bloodshed, he was sure Syca had seen his fair share. After all, Syca had taken a life. Riggs hadn't done it yet. But Syca hadn't seen a friend fall yet. And Riggs had. And he could argue that the experience of losing Joule was nearly as traumatic. The truth was that Riggs was still having nightmares about it. How was he supposed to watch his friend and ally die and not think about it every living moment?

As much as Riggs wanted to stand in front of Syca and keep him from any more trauma, Riggs knew he couldn't bear to see it either. They were similar in that way. Neither of them wanted this, or asked for this. They were both trapped, but being trapped together kept Riggs from going fucking insane. His attention wandered so much it was dangerous at times. He liked having someone that kept him focused and grounded. Someone that kept him from daydreaming too much. He would hate for his dumbass brain to be the reason he lost it all.

"I don't buy that anyone has it," Syca said, as they weaved past trees and through bushes.

Riggs wanted to believe that, and his optimistic side jumped at the chance that the string was still out there.

"Why not?" Riggs asked, ducking under a branch.

"You think Lux is going to just lay the string on the floor? I imagine it would be resting on some kind of pillar."

"What if there was a pillar that sinks back in the ground when someone gets it?"

Syca thought for a minute. "Possible, but… Well, if I were Lux, I would want the other tributes to know if a pair had the string. That would make the action more intense and make that pair a target, making it harder for them to win."

"Okay, but… If it wasn't in the main temple with a path leading to it, then how are we all supposed to know someone has it?"

Syca bit his lip. "I don't know."

"But maybe you're right!" Riggs said, trying to stay optimistic. "We shouldn't give up hope."

"Yeah, exactly!"

The last syllable of the smiling boy's statement was cut off with a choking noise. When Riggs turned around. Syca was collapsed on the ground, the District Four boy standing over him and pulling the trident out of his back. Riggs was frozen out of shock as Nerio tore the weapon out of Syca's lower back, causing him to scream. Nerio lifted his trident again, to finish the death, and before Riggs knew it, he lunged at the other boy, pulling a knife out and lunging at him with a yell. Nerio jumped back, and instead of attacking, quickly turned around and ran. Riggs noticed that one of his hands was full by a few rabbit carcasses, which was probably why he didn't want to fight one-handed.

As soon as Nerio disappeared from sight the world around Riggs began to spin, spin so fast it was blurring, so fast Riggs couldn't hold on. He didn't know what was happening. He wanted to do something, but he was frozen in shock. He wanted his body to move, but it wouldn't. All he could do was stand there motionlessly and feel his own heart pounding. What was he going to do… What happened… It was all a dream… A very bad dream.

Riggs could hear Syca sobbing quietly behind him, and for a horrible few seconds that felt like hours, Riggs couldn't make himself move. Riggs realized that his time with his ally could very well be running out if he didn't act, and forced his body into motion. His hands and arms shook as he knelt next to Syca and felt warm blood seep through his shorts. His hands shook and his eyes filled with tears as he opened his backpack, barely able to pull the zipper.

"I-I'm gonna try…"

"Please," Syca sobbed. Riggs's hands shook as he opened the first aid kit, trying to find something to help him.

"I'm gonna help, I'm g-onna, I'm g-gonna…"

"Please d…" Syca gasped and let out a moan of pain. "Don't waste your supplies."

"It's not a waste!" Riggs picked up a needle, hands shaking so bad he dropped it and tried to pick it up again. "I j-ust need time-"

"We don't have time!" Syca yelled between gasps and sobs.

"I- I'll think of something Syca… Just hang tight… Please…" Riggs's voice broke as he squeezed tears out of his eyes. He could barely see straight, as the water fell out of his eyes more water formed and blurred his vision again. He heard Syca let out another agonized sob and clenched his fist. He had to do something… _Think, Riggs, Think…_ More blood streamed out of Syca's wound and Riggs's stomach came in on itself.

"I-t-t's useless!" Syca forced out, before another sob escaped.

"Don't say that!" Riggs snapped, trying to grab the needle again with shaking hands.

"I'm _dead_!" Syca said.

"NO!" Riggs shouted at the top of his lungs. "Don't be a fucking quitter Syca!" He punched the ground as hard as he could in frustration.

"I'm a f-ucking dead man and we both know it!" Syca said, through clenched teeth, as more sobs forced their way out of him.

"Stay with me dammit!" Riggs sobbed, squeezing more tears out of his eyes. "Just let me think! Don't quit on me! Don't you dare _do_ this to me!"

"Riggs," Syca said, through clenched teeth. Riggs looked over at his ally, who was laying in a growing puddle of blood. "Stop lying to yourself."

Riggs realized that he was right, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his fists tightly.

"Pl-ease just stay with me t-till the end, and then…" Syca let out a moan that dissolved into gasps and sobs. "Get back to Gian."

Riggs reached up to wipe his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. "I promise."

"A-And, p-lease give my sister… The Wolf aut-tograph," Syca choked, a smile forming as tears leaked out of his eyes.

Riggs's hands shook as he brushed some of Syca's hair out of his eyes. "I will," he choked out quietly. "I promise."

"N-o need to cry," Syca said, and Riggs could hear his voice fading with every word. "I'll be a st-ar now. I-In the sky. Look up a-nd you'll s-see me."

Riggs sniffled just kept stroking his hair. Syca's breaths started to get slower, and Riggs didn't know what to do for him. So he did the only thing he could think of to comfort Syca. He sang. A District Six folk song Syca probably knew well after it was popularized by Upward Voyager.

" _Lay down… Your sweet and weary head,_

 _Night is falling, you've come to journey's end…"_

Syca's lips went up into a smile, so Riggs sang slightly louder, encouraged.

" _What can you see… On the horizon?_

 _Why do the white gulls call?_

 _Across the sea, a pale moon rises…_

 _The ships have come, to carry you home…"_

Riggs felt Syca take his last breath in the middle of the second verse, a shaky, shallow breath, but calm. His eyes slid closed and he kept a smile on his face. Riggs kept singing anyways, even though he knew in his heart it was over. Just in case. Just in case somehow he could still hear Riggs's voice somehow.

" _Don't say…_

 _We have come now to the end._

 _White shores are calling_

 _You and I will meet again,_

 _And you'll be here in my arms…"_

Riggs swallowed a sob, his voice starting to shake and betray him on the last line before the chorus.

" _Just…_

 _Sleeping…"_

Riggs laid his head down gently, and looked at his ally and friend's face for the last time, just hoping that he gave his friend a comfortable death, and made his last few days worth living.

" _And all will turn…._

 _To silver glass…_

 _A light on the water…_

 _Gray ships pass…_

 _Into the west…"_

Riggs noticed the patches of grass that had been stained by Syca's blood were… Moving somehow… And before he realized what was happening, bright green and yellow flowers were replacing the patches of red on the ground. Riggs's eyes widened as he watched the flowers open up, replacing the bloodstains. Riggs reached over and gently picked one of the flowers, vowing to keep his ally by his side for as long as he possibly could.

"Thank you Lux," Riggs whispered, tears dripping off of his face and hitting the ground. Flowers sprouted where his tears hit, which made Riggs laugh a little through the sadness. "He'll always be with me."

Riggs wiped his eyes, put the unused needles and bandages back in the first aid kit, put it in his backpack, and walked away from the spot.

"I will avenge you," Riggs whispered, sniffling for the last time and wiping his eyes. "I promise." He wiped nose and eyes on his arm. "I'll get home and live your legacy." He took a deep breath, feeling the warm sun on his skin. "And I'll deliver that autograph to your sister personally. I promise." Riggs looked over his shoulder one last time as he heard the hovercraft approaching to take the body. "Rest well buddy. I'm sorry I couldn't be better for you."

He turned around and ran off into the forest.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Well, here we are. Down to seven. And there's plenty more action in store up until the end. Please leave a review and let me know what you all thought of this chapter! This chapter was so emotional on all fronts and I didn't realize how un-ready I was for it until everything was happening and I was sitting here teary-eyed like "noooo!" I hope you all don't hate me too much, lol.**_

 _ **Eulogies:**_

 _ **8**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Syca Gallen, District 7, Killed by Nerio Thames, D4**_

 _ **Where do I even start? Syca was such a joy to write, and he went way farther than anyone thought he possibly would. But, unfortunately, the Games aren't fair, and they steal the worthiest Victors by tributes that are stronger and have more experience. Syca topped the final 8 polls so I knew he would live this long, but I just couldn't see him as a Victor. He deserved it, arguably more or just as much as everyone else, but the Games are unfair and they take the ones that deserve it the most. Syca went on such a journey and I was crying as I was writing it because I wasn't even ready to let go of him. He was just too pure, too good, but he did get a comfortable death, even if it was drawn out. Thank you so much for this beautiful Syca-mon roll child, it was such an honor and a pleasure to write him and to see him grow and find his confidence. And of course, I am so happy I got to know you as a person through this process, and I hope that you don't hate me so much you don't decide to submit to the sequel, lol. Rest in peace Sycamon roll. You deserved so much better.**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

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 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

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 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 145**_

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 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 136**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 73**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 219**_

 _ **goldie031: 309**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

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 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **later. glader: 270**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

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 _ **Little Knight Mik: 44**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mr. Panem: 4**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Notary Sojac: 4**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 85**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 349**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 49**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

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 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **See you all next chapter!**_


	44. Day 9: Breathe

_The ninth day_

* * *

-Attila of the Windy Plains, 18, District 10-

Seven. The number of tributes left in the Arena now that the boy from Seven is dead.

Six. The number of people standing between Attila and everything he's ever dreamt of.

Five. The number of tributes Attila had a pact with that were now… Gone. One way or another.

Four. The number of Attila's complete posse, and his complete family, if he could just return to them.

Three. The number of lives he had taken already.

Two. His parents, who had invested so much time and money, all leading to this moment.

One. The one that meant everything to him. Gone.

Was any of this worth it without her? Was _anything_ worth it without her?

Attila tried to snap himself out of this slump, but somehow he had a feeling that he would never be able to go back to the man he was before she entered his life. In the course of a week he felt like he'd known her his whole life. She was the only one to make him feel so many different emotions he had never known. Some were good, and some were… Not.

He didn't know happiness until she made him feel it. He didn't know pain until she died.

He could have had all the training in the world and never be fully prepared for her. She was just so full of surprises, that one. She was _everything_. And Attila couldn't imagine himself feeling this way about anyone else.

But, more importantly, he was sure that nobody would ever love him the same amount she did. He wasn't even sure if his family did.

Who would want someone like Attila? Sure, he would have money and honor, which would make him attractive to many suitors. He would be famous, everything he and his family wanted for himself. But the reality was that if you stripped all of those things away, what was left? Someone dramatically unimpressive. A zero.

Sure, he had muscles and tattoos, but he realized now that he had no depth of character. He was just a big dummy that destroyed himself. He shrugged off his feelings until the very moment that it mattered the most.

He _failed_ Ester. No amount of love he had for her could save her. No amount of training he had could save her. He just simply wasn't good enough. And he would never be good enough for the people that mattered most to him. After all, he was practically giving up on his own family and friends back home.

He knew that Circe, his head trainer back home, Roxanne, his mentor, and his own parents, all of them would be disappointed in him for breaking like this. For being a coward and an idiot, and letting his emotions get the best of him. They were dishonored because he couldn't just hold himself the fuck together.

He was starting to wonder if it was just more honorable for him to die. The thought, as much as he hated it, was persistent. But he didn't want to die. Death was scary to him. Besides, suicide was the coward's way, and he knew it. He didn't want that to be his end. He didn't want to give up. That reputation would follow Marcius everywhere. He didn't want to damn his own family to that fate.

He already let them down once by breaking. He couldn't be the strong, emotionless person that they wanted, no, needed him to be. He couldn't hold it together. He wanted to stop letting them down, but as much as he tried, he was trapped. He just couldn't escape this cycle of letting his family down, getting trapped in his head and being even more emotional, more of a disappointment. He just wanted to stop dishonoring his family, but as hard as he tried he couldn't escape those terrible thoughts. Those horrible thoughts that just would not stop replaying in his head. The memories he wished he could stop reliving. And yet he saw them every time he closed his eyes, with nowhere to run. He hated those thoughts, but he was a slave to them.

He had gotten back up on his feet, finally, and ventured around the Arena, getting by on berries upon realizing he had no food left in his backpack. He had no direction, so he wandered aimlessly. His only purpose was to get revenge for Ester. But he still had no idea how she died. If they triggered a trap, there was no revenge to be had. If it was a tribute, that person was long gone.

Attila just kept wandering forward, his mind drifting to those thoughts that scared him and hurt him. He desperately wanted to stop being a disappointment, but didn't know how. Would winning make up for it? Would Ester want him to just keep killing until he won? He tried to convince himself she would.

Maybe she was just mad at him, and wanted him dead.

Or maybe… She was just gone.

That was most likely. She was just gone.

Attila stared at his feet, focusing on where he was going as much as he could. It was way easier to distract himself on the uneven rocky terrain of the mountains than on the flat train path. He wasn't sure what he would find at the top of the mountain, or if he could even get there, but walking was better than just sitting around, waiting for death.

The sun was warm on Attila's back as he stepped up on rocks around the trail. He still wasn't sure if winning was worth it without Ester, but he knew that giving up would just hurt his family and friends. He had to try to collect his thoughts, focus them, and do the best he could. He had to try to make up for his failures, somehow. He just didn't know how he could-

Attila tripped on a rock, but caught himself before he ell.

 _Focus, Attila,_ he scolded himself. He couldn't help but feel angry. He had never found it this hard to focus before, and focus was what he needed to stay on guard. _You have to pay attention._

He squinted and looked around him cautiously, just in case. The area was clear of tributes, clear of all living creatures it seemed, but something in the distance caught his eye. A few yards away from him was a misty area that looked like it could be surrounding some kind of spring. Attila grabbed a half-empty canteen from his backpack and headed that way, keeping his glaive close, just in case.

Sure enough, there was a small valley in the mountain, filled with crystal clear water, surrounded by a fine mist. Attila knelt and filled the cap of his canteen to test the water's purity before refilling the canteen. He splashed his face as well, letting the water drip down the back of his neck.

 _Attila._ He was about to stand when the voice sent chills down his spine.

 _Attila._ He sprung to his feet faster than he's ever gotten up in his life.

"Ester?!" He looked around. It couldn't be… But it was her. It was _her_ voice. "Where are you?!" He looked around frantically, not caring if he looked crazy. He just needed to see her one last time…

 _Attila._

"I'm here," he said. "I'm here Ester! I'm here!"

 _Come find me, Attila._ In the mist he saw a silhouette, a figure that he recognized so well.

He hurried after her, out of the mist, desperately looking for her. "Ester?" He kept going towards the direction the silhouette went. "Ester?!" he kept jogging after her. Every once in a while an ice cold breeze swept past him, or he heard the faintest sound of her cute little laugh, so he kept hurrying, not caring if it was a trap. The prospect of seeing her again was too great.

He stopped when he saw a temple in the side of one of the mountain. A red structure stood at the top of some uneven, natural stone steps, surrounded by the trees. There was an altar in the middle. From the top of the shrine hung a bell. He approached slowly, cautiously. It could be a trap but… What if it wasn't? Somehow…

 _Sacrifice_ , Ester said quietly.

"Wh…" Attila approached the altar. He hurriedly reached into his backpack and pulled out his most precious resource: his glaive.

He placed it on the altar gently. "Show me Ester," he said. "Please."

The food was consumed in a purple and royal blue fire, right in front of Attila's eyes. The glaive was gone, but just like that, she was there. It was a pale finger, dressed in a ragged dress, but it was her.

"Ester," he said. "I was… So sorry-" for the first time, Attila had so much to say that he didn't even know where to start.

"Don't apologize, Attila… I would have rather it been men."

"No! Don't say that! You had _ambitions_! You had a plan! You should be alive and we both know it." He cursed how his eyes filled with tears at seeing her face, knowing that he could never touch it again.

"Maybe. But you don't recognize your own worth. You can do amazing things. I see it in you, and I wish you could see it in yourself. For my sake. Please. I would be so… Sad if you gave up. That's not what I-"

Her eyes widened and she froze, face stuck in fear.

"Ester?!" Attila reached out, concerned. "What's-"

"That's her. The one who killed me." Attila didn't even get to turn around before a pain exploded in his bottomside. He groaned, turning around and reaching for a weapon he didn't have. He pulled the dagger that used to belong to Ester, hands shaking.

"Avenge me," Ester said, as her spirit disintegrated into purple and blue flower petals blown away by the wind. His ass was on fire as he turned around to face the one he had been searching for.

Attila wasn't paying attention to the pain, though, he could only focus on the fire that burned in his heart as he faced the girl from District Nine, who was sitting on a tree branch and waving at him pleasantly.

"I will."

~.~.

-June Fisher, 18, District 9-

June didn't actually expect to shoot Attila's ass with an arrow, but dammit to hell if it wasn't the funniest thing her tired, salty eyes had seen to date. She hadn't seen exactly what Attila was doing, but she could see the figure that looked like a spirit and could only assume that one or both of them, Attila or herself, was out of their goddamn mind.

That didn't matter at the moment, though. After all, she was here for one thing, and one thing only: to finish her revenge. June had thought about shooting Attila as he was sitting with Ester, maybe the survivalist in her should have taken control, but her petty side wanted him to feel the grief she had before she finished her revenge for Jasper. And now he had, and he was right in her grasp.

Attila spotted her and ran at her as she aimed another arrow and let it go. He moved too zig zag for her, though, and her second arrow flew right past him. June swore to herself as she quickly reached for another arrow.

"You! _You_ killed her!" Attila shouted, standing at the bottom of the tree she'd climbed up to get a better vantage point. June wasn't one for a menacing monologue, though, so she took another arrow and focused on her target.

Attila quickly threw his backpack down and jumped up on the tree. He was missing his weapon, but that didn't stop him. June could see the anger in his beady little eyes. Before she had another arrow drawn and aimed, she felt a strong hand grip her ankle, causing her heart to start pounding. He was a weaponless dummy, but he was an _angry_ weaponless dummy. His hand squeezed her ankle as hard as it could, pulling at it until her shoe came off.

June's heart pounded as she tried as quickly as she could to figure out a solution. For a moment, she gave up on loading her arrow: she wouldn't be able to get a good angle with him holding her foot anyways, and tried a plan B. June reached up, grabbing a steady branch and pulling herself up, using her other foot to kick him in the face. Attila's grip loosened enough for June to kick her foot out of his grasp and quickly, or as quick as someone from District Nine could, climb higher up the tree.

Attila was now at the bottom, blood coming out of his mouth from where June had kicked a few of his teeth out. He was groaning in pain, probably from that and from the arrow that was still comically sticking out of his ass. He started climbing back up, that tenacious bastard. But what other choice did he have. His face was flushed red, probably out of anger, and his eyes had fire in them. Too bad fire wasn't enough in this situation.

Attila shook branches, trying to shake the entire tree (which it felt like he could have he was so strong, even if his attempts were all futile). June loaded her second-to-last arrow and aimed downwards, closing one eye. Attila's hands slipped and he fell again, causig June to laugh. She knew she probably could have just let him go, he would have kept trying and falling under his own weight until he was exhausted. He would do the dirty work for her, kill himself because he was so focused on climbing up and getting her. He really had no control over himself after all, as much as he pretended he did. He pretended to be the menacing villain that had no emotions, but in reality he was always just a big dummy. June knew the feeling, though not quite to this degree.

"You're such a dumbass," she said under her breath, closing one eye to focus and make sure she didn't have to rely on a single arrow. "But I have to say that revenge tastes sweet."

Attila started up the tree again, but this time before he got too far, June let her arrow go. It flew straight towards its target, hitting Attila straight in the forehead. The force caused his neck to snap back at an unnatural angle as he flew back off the tree, his body hitting the ground and contorting in an unnatural way. It barely took any time at all for a cannon to boom, and a smile to spread across June's face. She'd won.

June jumped to the ground, knowing she would have to collect her arrows (and his supplies) quickly before they were taken away by the hovercrafts coming for Attila's body. She noticed that there were small patches of brown and gold flowers surrounding Attila's body. She thought it was strange, until she pulled her arrow out of Attila's ass and watched blood spurts turn into the same flowers. Maybe it would have been touching if this wasn't the person who had taken Jasper's life.

She picked up the arrow that had missed, but decided to let the arrow in his head go. She didn't want to have to clean brain matter off of it. Even the thought made her sick to the stomach. Part of her hoped the people preparing his body for the funeral would leave it, just as a reminder not to mess with her. After all, she was on her way to Victory now, and who was going to stop her?

She opened his backpack and reveled in its contents. There were some canteens, actual canteens, with water. Now she wouldn't have to keep trekking to the pond. She put those into the pack on her back for safekeeping. There was a clean T-shirt and jacket that she wanted to change into immediately, but figured she should save. A flashlight, just in case. There was also a towel, and a sleeping bag. No food, much to June's dismay. She would have to keep eating berries until she got the courage to hunt meat and start a fire. In the treetops, she'd seen a few smoke streams floating up into the air. Surely one more wouldn't stir too much suspicion.

She knew that she should clear the way for the hovercrafts, so she moved towards the stone structure Attila had been admiring.

Looked pretty ordinary, really. It was like the temple she'd seen before, but less ornate. This was just a square arch and a pedestal, with a bell.

 _June._ Suddenly the girl from Nine felt a wisp of cold wind fly past her, sending chills up her spine. It was… His voice. But it was like a whisper. She hadn't heard him whisper like that to her in… God. Months. She was starting to see why Attila was attracted here.

 _But Attila's a dummy,_ June thought, shaking her head. _I'm not a dummy._ She turned away, knowing that this was probably a stupid trap set up by the Gamemakers.

"Shove off."

 _Please June._ He actually sounded… Hurt. June had heard that tone of voice in him so many times. She could practically feel her heart thaw as she glanced over her shoulder.

 _This was what they wanted…_ June thought, knowing there could be so many ways she could die from this scenario.

 _I would never hurt you,_ Jasper said, his voice quiet. _I just thought you might want a last goodbye. I know I do. But if you don't…_

June felt tears start to form in her eyes and pinched herself for that. She wasn't like Attila, she wasn't going to continue being haunted by something she left in the past. She was stubbornly moving forward, a steamroller unable to be stopped by anyone or anything. So why was this voice making her think twice?

She sighed, cursing how her breath shook. She thought she was done feeling the pain, but hearing his voice just made her desperate to talk to him. Just one last time…

She approached the pedestal, fists clenched.

 _Sacrifice._

"What?" June glared all around, at nothing. "You're bonkers if you think I'm going to-"

 _Please, June._ She hated how even hearing him softened her. June wasn't sure what made her do it, but she put Attila's backpack on the pedestal.

 _Now bow._

"What kind of voodoo bullshit is this?" June asked, tempted to steal the backpack back and run away. Was Lux just trying to make her look like an idiot on national television?!

 _June… Bow._

Jasper's voice, soft and gentle, sent June to her knees. Before her eyes, the backpack was eaten away in a fire of orange and yellow. Just like that, extra clothes, a towel, a flashlight, a sleeping bag, all of them _gone_. June was filled with rage, even more so than she ever thought.

 _Ring the bell._

"Fuck your bell!" June said, almost getting up, but the rush of cold air on her back made her shiver and sent her back down. Jasper was materializing in front of her, and June couldn't just sit and let this chance go away. She'd lost enough for it.

June reached over to the string and moved it back, causing the bell to chime even louder and more powerful than she imagined. She imagined that everyone in the whole damn Arena heard that. She wondered why she hadn't heard when Attila was summoning Ester.

When she looked up and saw Jasper's figure, illuminated by orange and yellow, she hung her head, tears rolling down her cheeks and down her nose. She didn't deserve to be back in his presence and she knew it.

 _Juniper Fisher of District Nine… In the name of comradery and bravery, I, Jasper Pearce, now present to you… the red string of fate._

June looked up, blinking tears out of her vision as the string, emitting a red aura around it, descended into the form of Jasper's hands. When it had landed there, June watched as all of her fallen allies materialized around him. Kaelys, their fearless leader, looking sullen, Ollie, smiling peacefully like he always seemed to do, standing next to Jacques, who was wearing his typical straight-faced but gentle expression.

 _Rise, June,_ Ollie said softly. It was like he was really there, standing in front of her. June slowly rose to her feet, looking at each of her allies as she reached out and took the string from Jasper's hands. Her eyes lingered on him for just a few seconds, as she felt the string between her fingers.

"I'm so sorry Jasp," she said quietly, with a shaking voice, reaching up to wipe the snot that was dripping out of her nose.

 _I know,_ he said, giving her a typical Jasper grin and a wink, and letting out that goofy laugh that June used to get lost in. She let out a weird combination of a laugh and a sob, but it felt good.

 _Use this for good,_ Jacques said.

 _For our sakes,_ Kaelys said.

June bit her lip.

 _Wipe your eyes now, June. You're an ugly crier._ June could hear Jasper's loud, booming laugh yet again, as the spirits of her allies, some of them her friends, turned into flower petals and were blown away by the wind, leaving her in silence.

June looked down at the string, which was still in her hands. It really wasn't all that impressive. It was quite literally just a red string, maybe a bit thicker and fairly long. This was everything she had wanted for herself and Jasper. It stung that the very moment they could have shared had been taken away from them by that bastard from District Ten.

June set one of the multiple canteens back on the altar. "Hey spirits, I wanna summon Attila and tell him I hate him! Oh, and rub this baby in his dead face."

 _That's not how this works,_ Lux's voice said.

"Come on, show him to me so I can cut it in two right in front of his face!"

No response. June blew a raspberry and turned around. _No fun._

She sat down on a rock and pulled out an arrow. June didn't have a knife on her, so this would have to do.

She stared at the string in her hands and wondered if maybe she shouldn't cut it in two. This was what she wanted, after all. One less person would have to die if she were to hold on to it. It could be a good deed, maybe she could shrug off her terrible-person label.

But at the same time, if it fell into Chance and Nerio's hands, or some other pair of bastards left in this god-forsaken Arena, June would never forgive herself.

She tied the string between two rocks and stretched it out so that it would be easier to cut. She took her sharpest arrow and held it at an angle so that the sharp blade was close to the string.

A grin spread across June's face. This would show them. This would show all of them. This would prove June's victory and show everyone that crossed her that she was going to win the Games and be victorious, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her.

 _Use it for good,_ Jacques's voice said in her head again, but June just shook her head.

 _This stupid string. That everyone spent so much time squabbling over. This string should have taken me out alive with Jasper, but his life was stolen for me. This will show them. This will show all of them! This will show them all that June Fisher is coming with a vengeance, and everyone had better watch their asses. Literally._

June laughed at the image of Attila's ass with an arrow sticking out. This would show them all.

 _The red string's fate is finished in_

 _Three…_

 _Two…_

 _One._

June lowered the blade.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Yay, back with another update! I'm officially on summer vacation and home from my first vacation so I'm hopefully going to be putting out updates pretty quick up until the end! I do have the rest of the story planned, including who's going to win. So, as a warning, sponsor products won't really affect the plot anymore, although a sponsor gift may give a tribute an extra little POV if it's significant enough.**_

 _ **Anyways, hope you liked the chapter, and this little piece of poetic justice!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Hm... I need some happy HCs. BroTP, OTP, tributes and families, whatever you want. Just give me a happy headcanon for one of the tributes in this story, AU or not AU.**_

 _ **I forgot a CQ last chapter so if you left a long-ish review on that chapter I just gave you ten XD Shorter reviews just got five.**_

 _ **Okay, now for our eulogy:**_

 _ **7**_ _ **th**_ _ **place- Attila of the Windy Plains, District 10, Killed by June Fisher, D9**_

 _ **I think that everyone saw this one coming, but I hope that his fall from glory was as good as he deserved. Attila was a character unlike any I have ever written, which made it even more fun to get into his head! I liked exploring this character and pushing him to his very limit before his demise. He was one of the most fun characters to develop and I think he was one of the most changed by the end. It took me a little while to really warm up to this character and realize his potential, but I hope I did him justice. He offered a lot of fun worldbuilding opportunities and if it hadn't been for the Quell twist, he certainly would have made it even closer to the end. Thank you so much for him GalacticCoach! I hope you liked how he was written and stick around to see who takes the title. And, of course, I hope to see another one of your awesome tributes for this story's sequel!**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

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 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **I will see you all next chapter! Thanks so much for all your great support!**_


	45. Day 10: Regroup

_The tenth day_

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs didn't sleep well at all, but he had a better night's sleep than he had the past few nights. Knowing that one less threat was alive was a relief for him. Riggs wasn't sure if he could take Attila in a fight, but now he wouldn't have to worry about it.

However, it wasn't time to celebrate yet. He was still far from Victory. It was easy to feel close, considering only five tributes needed to die for Riggs to get home. Four, if he was lucky. But, someone had to place sixth, fifth, fourth, third, second... He was still far from Victory. Especially because Chance and Nerio were still left, and they would be allied together until the very bitter end. He hoped that maybe someone would catch one without the other and take him out.

Riggs could have. If he hadn't frozen up in the most important moment. Riggs could have attacked Nerio, could have found a way to kill him and get revenge for Syca. The fifteen-year-old that Nerio stole the life from. The fifteen-year-old with so much life ahead of him that had died in Riggs's arms. Goddammit, Riggs couldn't even avenge him! Riggs had frozen up in the moment that mattered the most. Nerio was able to make a clean getaway, leaving Syca there to bleed out and die.

Riggs hadn't stopped seeing it. The blood gushing out of the wound, staining his shirt, staining the ground before being replaced by flowers.

 _Flowers_. Riggs turned the green and yellow flower around his fingers quietly. Even though it was days old, the flower wasn't drooping or dying. Riggs wondered what kind of Capitolite technology made a flower like this. But he was glad he had it.

Riggs sometimes felt hopeless, wondered why he was even still here. But in his heart, he knew why. The flower and the note from Gian just reminded him. Riggs had something that was bigger than himself.

It didn't help that Into The West was such a fucking earworm. It just kept running around Riggs's head in a loop. It was just a good song. As much as Riggs tried to think of other songs, that one was just going to stick. It was really fucking annoying. He was already hurting and that song just wasn't helping.

Riggs knew he had to avenge his ally, somehow. But he also knew that this wasn't something he should just recklessly run into. At this point, staying alive was the most important thing. He couldn't take any unnecessary risks. It was drastic coming from Riggs, who had always been a daredevil. This was bigger than his recklessness, though. This was for his brothers, and Neeka, and for Gian. For Joule. For Syca.

When Into The West wasn't playing on a loop in his head, Riggs heard the sound of the loud bell chiming pulse in his ears. It had sounded yesterday, so loud it could probably be heard everywhere in the Arena. It was a little foreboding, the deep, loud tone practically shaking the ground.

Riggs wondered what it could have possibly meant. Maybe it rang to signify Attila's death. Then again, there was a cannon to signify Attila's death. What had the District Ten tribute done to deserve special recognition? So that was ruled out.

" _Well, if I were Lux, I would want the other tributes to know if a pair had the string. That would make the action more intense and make that pair a target, making it harder for them to win."_

Syca's voice filled Riggs's head again totally randomly. He wasn't sure why, until he thought about the words. _He would want other tributes to know..._

Someone had gotten it. Riggs didn't know who, where, or how, but someone had definitely gotten it. That had to have been a signal. What else could it possibly mean? Riggs couldn't think of another possibility. If that was true, he couldn't imagine who would have found it, and who they would share it with. At this point, though, that didn't matter. All that it mattered for Riggs was having a two-for-one kill on his way to Victory. He couldn't worry too much about it now. He wanted to win, whether alone or with a partner. Now it was just looking like he would have to do it alone.

The fact just loomed that Riggs hadn't killed yet. He wasn't sure if he didn't have the courage or the opportunity, but he did know that if he didn't kick into action soon, he would be forgotten, or killed by the Capitol. He didn't want to be seen as boring but... Taking a life was much harder than he thought it would be. So far he'd had an eventful time in the Arena, but that had mostly been because of his drama with Gian, and his allies dying. But Riggs hadn't done anything to avenge them yet, nor had he defended himself or his allies from a threat. He could only hope Lux had sent mutts upon someone else. He hoped that his relationship with Gian could save him for now, just until he got the balls to fight someone else.

He definitely wasn't going to do it until he had to, though. Or at least not until he had a plan. But Riggs wasn't very good at making plans. After all, he'd never made a plan for anything in his life. He was so used to living on a whim. But he was starting to realize that this was no way to live in a place like this.

Riggs was exhausted, but knew he had to get moving. After all, there was no way he was going to sleep in the daytime. He was way too easy of a target that way. Practically waiting to be an easy kill. With so few tributes left in the Games, Riggs was keeping his guard up more than ever. Everyone was surely getting desperate to get home, especially now that someone has the red string of fate. Riggs was desperate to get home. He was hungry for real food, thirsty for glasses of water whenever he wanted them. And desperate for a place to sleep that wasn't the ground, a real bed. But most of all, he was desperate to hold Gian in his arms and never let him go.

Riggs took a deep breath and steeled himself. He stood up, cracked his back and went out to find some berries and game for lunch, and whatever else was waiting for him.

~.~.

-Becquerel Pierre, 17, District 3-

God, Bec was ready to go home.

He was ready to hunt, and kill, and go home. Now that the fifteen-year-old was out, the tributes left were at least Bec's age, and he figured that maybe that would make it easier to take them out. There were no more kids left. Then again, he was sure all of the youngest tributes stopped being kids the moment they watched their friends and lovers be killed in front of their eyes.

Bec and his friends had stopped being kids too. It was hard to maintain innocence when you're the District's scapegoat. It was hard to stay a kid when you were the freaks. Bec had to grow up pretty quickly to protect his friends. That was just the person he was. Maybe some people thought it was heroic of him, but the truth was Bec couldn't imagine his life without having a support there. Erwin had always been his support, through everything. Through thick and thin, through doubts and dysphoria, and Erwin was still supporting him from afar, here in the Games.

Bec wanted to protect as many people as he possibly could like Erwin protected him when they were growing up. There was never a time that his twin didn't jump to his aid. And he would do anything for Erwin in return, of course. And he wanted to be that person for other kids, too, that didn't have someone. He learned so much from his friends and knew that they had so much potential. He knew that Jace was going to have such a great future, and wouldn't let his lack of sight stop him from succeeding. Bec had faith that maybe he could go to University someday, if the rest of their weird little friend group stayed behind him. Which was really not a question. Of course they would. Bec wanted to have a shot at life. And it was proving to be worth the effort. Bec was fully intent on winning and getting back home to Jace and his other friends.

Maybe people doubted him, but Bec had a fair number of sponsor gifts that proved the Capitol had faith in him. Tav warned him that people might get bored with him if he didn't act like the twist affected him. That it may be seen as rebellious. But Bec wasn't willing to act like someone he wasn't, and that paid off in the end. It would keep paying off until he left the Arena alive.

Bec wasn't sure what the sound of the bell meant, but he wasn't going to focus on it too hard. At this point the only thing that mattered to Bec as victory. No matter how he got there. After all, he killed two Careers by himself. The pressure on him to perform, hunt, and kill quickly was growing more and more with each death. If he wanted to be a Victor he would have to do what he had to, and Bec was willing to do that more than anyone else was left. Well, save for Chance and Nerio. But Bec figured that those two were going to implode on themselves eventually. Or so he hoped.

Bec made sure his footsteps were quiet as he walked through the dense foliage. He barely even cared about another tribute finding him, he was going to have a fire and eat a proper lunch. He needed to eat as well as he could to be strong in a fight.

Bec quietly snuck through the forest, surveying the area for something he could hunt. Hunting wasn't exactly ideal with a knife, but Bec had learned how to be sneaky at an early age. Bec was good at causing trouble, that was for sure. And he was even better at getting out of the punishment. Bec had learned to sneak around in his day, and that was an important skill here. In hunting, the best advantage you can get is the element of surprise.

If Luna had known he was going to kill her from behind, she would have given him a much bigger fight. If Dania knew that Bec was going to take advantage of her smallness, she would have fought differently. Bec bested them because he surprised them. That was what he had that no one else did, he was a wildcard. Unpredictable.

Bec ducked behind a tree as he heard a stick being stepped on in the distance. This was his moment to attack. He approached the noise and found a small pack of wild boars, grunting and stepping around and snorting.

He snuck towards them as quietly as he possibly could, knife grasped in his hand, at the ready. Bec took a deep breath, steeled himself, and charged at the boars. He thrust his knife into the side of the boar's face, where the eye is, causing it to squeal. Bec tackled the boar to hold it down as it tried to run away, pulling out his knife and stabbing it again. The boar squealed and reared, and Bec held on tightly until it stilled and went silent. Maybe he should have felt guilty that he took a life, but his survival was of the utmost importance. The survival of other creatures was less important, including people. Just thinking about the meat he was about to eat made any guilt he may have felt deep inside dissolve very quickly.

Triumphantly, Bec dragged the boar back to his camp. He gathered branches and leaves where he had put them before, and lit the pile of brush with a match. He was definitely looking forward to this meal. Definitely a much better reward than the small rodents he was able to catch yesterday. He knew nothing about how to butcher a boar, but he tried to remember what he learned in training.

At training, Bec was grossed out by the idea of gutting and butchering a dead animal, but now he didn't even mind that his shirt was being stained with boar's blood, that he was sifting through guts, and skinning an animal that was still somewhat warm. Bec cut off a suitable piece of meat, stuck a knife through the piece, and held it over the fire. The way it seared and browned made Bec's mouth water. The smell that wafted into his nose was wonderful.

Bec burnt the meat a little, but it was still the best meal he'd had in the ten days he'd been in the Arena. Worth every second of the effort. Bec put out the fire and felt nothing but the same parched thirst he'd been experiencing for the past day. He didn't have a thermos, and no way to purify water, so he'd been feeling less stellar than usual. Part of the reason he needed this to end as fast as possible.

With meat in his stomach, Bec was feeling much better, and was ready to go back out and hunt a medium that would be much harder to sneak up on: another tribute.

 _Now or never,_ Bec thought, steeling himself. _Let's go._ He ventured deeper into the forest.

~.~.

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

To say Nerio was exhausted was gross understatement. He was the one that went out hunting, the one that ran into those other two tributes and had to fight. He was the one that had been doing a lot of the work because Chance could barely do anything. He had been hunting, skinning, and cooking. He'd been reapplying Chance's sunscreen and spent most of the time on watch in the night. He had been fending for two tributes, but he was only one person.

But Nerio was loving it.

He didn't even mind the effort, because it was for Chance. It was an effort for a man he loved that loved him back. Sure, they had their ups and downs, but they fought through it together. They both obviously cared about making this work no matter what, because they cared about the other. What started as a silly act for the Capitol has turned into something so much more.

Nerio was worried, though. He'd been worried ever since he heard the bell, that practically shook the whole Arena.

He and Chance ate dinner together in silence. It had been a fairly uneventful day, no cannons or anything. But both of them knew that could change at any second, so they were keeping their guard up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chance asked quietly, as they ate some of the meat Nerio had hunted.

"Huh?" Nerio glanced over, his mouth half full. He saw the fire reflected off of Chance's face and for some reason thought it made him look especially attractive. Then again, Nerio always thought Chance was attractive. Even when the two of them had been surviving in the wilderness for days without taking proper baths, or shaving, or brushing their teeth. He just loved to look at Chance.

It was still a little bit wild to Nerio that someone existed that loved him so much, and someone he loved so much. It was amazing to Nerio that he crossed paths with this man, somehow. Chance could have waited a year to volunteer, or Nerio could have waited a year, they could have been put into an Arena where there was no chance for two of them to win. Somehow they met here and now, at the right place and the right time.

Nerio never thought he would love anyone so deeply. He wasn't sure if anyone would love him so deeply, honestly. But it was an amazing thing, to love and be loved. It had opened his eyes to a life Nerio wasn't even sure was possible.

Chance made Nerio proud to be the person he was. Chance was the reason Nerio wore that rainbow flag around his shoulders in the Capitol. It was all because of Chance. Chance gave Nerio courage and strength that Nerio wasn't sure was there before. It awakened him to a new Nerio, a better Nerio, who was inspired to be the very best he could be at all times. He kept Nerio going, in a way, even when things got hopeless. Chance kept Nerio sane in an Arena where everyone else was against them.

He wasn't sure where he would be without Chance, but now he was in a pretty good place. They were in the final 6, after all, and they were still together. Probably the only alliance left, unless Riggs was going to find another ally for Chance and Nerio to kill. Nerio was going to kill Riggs the next time he saw him. He had managed to run away from them twice now without a fight. That outer District rat was going to get what was coming to him one way or another.

He had to be close. Nerio was sure of it. He couldn't have wandered off too far after losing his second ally. The next time they'd meet, Riggs would be alone, and Nerio would take him out. No more running away or playing any tricks.

"I said, are you sure you're okay?" Chance asked again. "You seem a little spacey."

"Oh, I'm fine." Nerio said. "I was just thinking about stuff."

"Us stuff? Or Games stuff?"

"Is there really a difference anymore?"

Chance's face fell as he let out a quiet sigh. "I guess not," he said quietly. "I guess our love is destined to be defined by our kill count."

"No, that's not... I mean, not necessarily. If we get out of here, we'll be able to show the world what our love really is. Giving each other strength and seeing each other through. That's what we're doing here. It's just sad that they can't see beyond the blood on my trident, and your knives."

"Well, that's just another reason for us to get out of here together." Chance gave Nerio a smile that looked triumphant.

Nerio couldn't help but smile back at that. "Yeah. That's true."

"Were you thinking about the chiming?"

Nerio certainly couldn't forget the sound of the bell. "Yeah, I was, a little bit. Do you have any idea what it could mean?"

Chance thought and then shook his head, genuine confusion spreading across his face. "No, actually. Maybe it's an indicator of the final six."

"Yeah, maybe," Nerio said. The truth was that Nerio had an idea what it meant. But it wasn't a good idea. Or, well, not a happy idea. It wasn't something Nerio wanted to think about, and he was worried he was just being paranoid. There was no need to worry Chance over something they couldn't control. But if it meant what Nerio thought... They were in trouble. _No, it couldn't be_. But what else could it be?

"Nerio?" Chance grabbed his shoulder and shook it gently. "You good babe?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." Nerio had to snap out of his thoughts.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"Is... There something you're not telling me?" Chance's brows furrowed in concern.

Nerio just gave a smile. "Nope. Nothing."

Chance relaxed, and smiled. "Okay. You can tell me _anything_. You know that, right?"

Nerio kept smiling. "Yep, of course."

Chance leaned over to kiss his temple, and Nerio was relieved to see that the movement wasn't giving him pain like it had in the past. "I love you," he whispered, and Nerio was filled with the same warm feeling he'd had in his chest for weeks.

His fake smile melted into a real one. "I love you too."

Nerio held Chance in his arms as the anthem played and no faces shone in the sky. Another day had gone by in the Arena, with no deaths. Nerio was sure that everyone was getting tense, and ready to go home.

But if Nerio was right about the string, and someone else has it... Nerio doesn't know what's going to happen. He doesn't want to think about it.

But his worst nightmare is becoming reality, and Chance doesn't even know it.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Alright, another chapter! And surprise, no deaths! I thought that I'd give you all and the tributes a break, but only for a day. From here the action is definitely going to be turned up even more! Everything is coming together and I'm excited to show you all what I have planned for the rest of the Games!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Give me your placement and Victor predictions!**_

 _ **Hopefully this chapter wasn't a bore, I'll see you all next chapter for the action!**_


	46. Day 11: Ashes

_The eleventh day_

* * *

-Wicke Valentine, 18, District 1-

As far as Wicke could see, there wasn't much waiting for her up in the mountains. She had done her share of exploring up there and hadn't found that much. She found a pond to refill her thermoses, and a hot spring that she could have relaxed in if she hadn't been in a fight to the death. Maybe she'd have to revisit once the Games was over and this place was made into a public attraction.

Would she be able to step foot on this island, or on the boat where she watched Acacia die? Would she be able to see it all again without feeling as heavy as she did now? Would she be able to feel the breeze on her face, blowing her hair, and not be full of anger and spite like she was now?

Wicke was used to being bitter, but it was at the point where she was just exhausted. And yet, her spite wouldn't die. That fire wouldn't burn out. She was sure she'd be way less angry revisiting here after the other tributes were all dead and she got to give fucking Elton a solid deck right in the face. The only thing that would calm her rage was victory. The only thing that would cool her down was revenge. The only thing that would subdue her was getting the honor, fame, and glory that she had worked her _ass_ off for.

There weren't any cannons the previous day, so Wicke wanted to kick into action before the Gamemakers sent something after her. It was time for her to remind the Capitol who was actually going to take the title. She was trying to save her energy for the final fight, but she also needed to remind them she was just as big a threat as whoever managed to kill the brute from Ten.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Wicke to find a target. The past few days she scouted the Arena below from atop one of the trees on the mountain, and she'd seen a few different fires, their smoke rising in a way that practically invited her to go kill someone. Today, she was going to venture down and get the kill.

The morning was largely uneventful. Wicke doubted the cameras were going to catch her walking around like this, but she had no real sense of direction until a bit closer to lunchtime. She had been keeping track of the time here fairly well, or so it seemed. Her internal clock was just as pristine as ever. She counted this as the eleventh day, though she wasn't completely sure. She wouldn't bet her life on it, of course. In fact, at this point she wouldn't _bet_ her life on anything. Bets were too risky. Wicke needed to be totally sure she wasn't throwing away her chance. She just had to keep controlling her anger, letting it simmer in her gut until she could release it, and then let it brew again.

Maybe when she got out of the Arena she could be like Acacia, so bubbly and full of life all the time. Maybe then she could be the person everyone looked to if they wanted to smile, or laugh, the person the Capitol really wanted to know, a sweetheart of the masses. Maybe then she could smile more, laugh more, live more. But until then, Wicke would continually feel like she was standing under a storm cloud. Her family and support system were the ones raining on her, all of her fellow tributes were storm clouds. They were the reasons Wicke was so unhappy. She had to believe that, or else everything she's done up to this point was for nothing. And she simply couldn't have that.

Acacia was her sunshine, the only person that made Wicke happy. Acacia was the only person that loved, supported, and believed in Wicke, and she did it when they were in a fight to the death together nonetheless. Sure, Amelie was a support, but now that she has two partners her attention has been divided all over the place, and just like everything else, Wicke was put on the backburner. Acacia never did that to Wicke. And she was stolen away so quickly-

Behind her, Wicke heard a branch snap, and when she turned around a figure jumped towards her.

Her heart pounded as she watched the deer-like serows ran right past her. God, that scared her. She should be more focused on being aware and less focused on things that have already past. Things that she couldn't change. There was no need to be so hung up on that. The more she thought about it, the less she could control her anger. And right now, with so few tributes left, the thing she needed most was control. So many tributes have failed in the past because they lost control of themselves. Wicke just needed to leave the past where it belonged, and focus on the future. On the prize, on the victory, on everything she'd ever wanted. Acacia couldn't weigh her down, she had to be Wicke's driving force.

Wicke's stomach started to growl after a while, so she figured it must be lunch time. She picked some berries to eat, too focused on hunting tributes to kill an animal. She would go hunt and treat herself to a delicious dinner afterwards.

She climbed a tree to sit in while eating her lunch. The branches almost reminded her of gymnastic bars she had back home. If only there were trees this beautiful back in District One. Maybe there were, somewhere, but Wicke had never seen them. Even District One's parks didn't have trees nearly as sturdy or tall as this one. But it was still amazing to even be up in one.

Wicke ate berry by berry pretty slowly, waiting to see if another fire would pop up. Her search was not going very well, though. She was starting to get antsy about sitting up in a tree all day. If she saw a fire, she would know exactly where to go, but if she sat up there all day and didn't see one, she would be kicking herself for sure.

Finally, Wicke couldn't take being still anymore. She had to guess blindly. She started walking and did the best she could to find something, anything. The forest seemed to all be the same, grass, bumps, sticks on the ground, the same towering trees. It was all the same...

Something different from the rest made Wicke stop. She approached the patch of green and yellow flowers slowly, not sure what to make of them. Were they poisonous? Were they edible? Wicke had never seen a flower quite like it in the Academy... It was odd for a random patch of these flowers to be spread across the ground like this. Wicke didn't know what to make of it. She decided it was best to not touch the flowers and keep moving. They could be an important landmark for her later.

When she'd past the flowers, Wicke scaled another tree. Squinting into the distance, she tried to make out any sign of a fire in the distance, and semblance of smoke floating up to the sky... Nothing.

But she found something much, much better.

Wicke barely slid down the tree before jumping off, her feet hitting the ground in a way that jolted them to life, as they ran towards the very obvious camp that was not far from her. This was it. This was her chance! But she would have to be careful.

When she thought she was getting close, Wicke became more cautious, making sure her footsteps didn't make any noise at all and crouching down low, staying more alert than she'd ever been before.

When she caught sight of the clearing in the distance, Wicke dropped her knees. As quickly and quietly as she could, Wicke crawled, keeping an eye on her target. Her heart was pounding, but this time she had no nerves. Only pure adrenaline. Before she knew it, she was right there, in front of the camp. Chance was by himself. Nerio was nowhere to be found.

Wicke felt a grin spread across her face. _Perfect_.

Still grinning, Wicke took a deep breath. She was going to get her revenge, and she had to make sure she enjoyed every moment of it. She was going to prove once and for all who was the superior District One tribute. Then she would take out his little boyfriend too, just to spite him. Chance didn't look so hot, and Wicke knew exactly why. She knew that Nerio would probably save him from the sharks with his District Four swimming skills, but she hoped that Chance would be injured like he was. That was going to make her job far easier.

Without hesitating another second, Wicke rushed out from behind the bush, her war scythe raised high. Chance's eyes widened as she dashed towards him. He started to stand, but was too slow. Wicke gave him a flying kick before he could even get on his feet that sent him back to the ground: hard. Chance coughed, but Wicke didn't even let him recover before she stomped on his right hand as hard as she could. She needed to make sure he couldn't use his dominant hand, even if he did get a weapon. As she stepped, she felt an immense pain in her thigh, realizing too late that Chance had grabbed a knife with his left hand. Wicke let out a cry of pain and immediately hated herself for it. This was her victory to win, _not his_!

Looking down at his smirking face, Wicke felt the anger bubble up from her stomach until it was filling her body. He tried to stand up again, wincing to put weight on his hand. Before he could get up, Wicke quickly kicked him in the face, as hard as she could. She was satisfied to hear a crunch as he fell back to the ground. When he raised his head again she could see the blood running out of his nose.

"You're going to regret ever crossing me, you shitface!"

Chance laughed, and it sent shivers down Wicke's spine. She could feel the rage bubble up in her. This guy didn't deserve a slow death. He had taken her sunshine! All of the shit feelings Wicke had were all his fault. She wasn't going to let him go without suffering. Chance swung the knife at her again, so Wicke decided to start there. She threw her weight on him, grinning as he struggled to get control. She took her war scythe and pressed the blade against his wrist, putting all of her weight on it until it buried deep into the skin. Blood gushed out of the wound, so Wicke pressed harder, harder, until she heard a crunch and Chance's hand splayed open. She could see on his face that he was trying not to scream, but soon it was too agonizing and he let out groans of agony.

"You... W-on't win," he said, spitting up at her. Wicke felt her grin widen as she pressed her scythe to his neck. He was going to suffer, he was going to choke, he was going to drown in his own goddamn blood! He had taken Acacia away from her and all she could think about was making him pay the price for it. The ultimate price.

"Really?" she asked, pressing the blade into his neck. "I think I am going to win. After eighteen years of not winning, I'm going to win. I won against Rhode. And now I'm going to win against you."

"Nerio!" Chance yelled weakly, which made Wicke laugh.

"You don't get him to save you."

"Nerio!" Chance screamed again, apparently done bantering with Wicke. Not that she minded.

"I didn't get to saver her, he's not going to get to save you!" Wicke said, pressing the blade into his throat and watching the blood pour out of it. This was it. Everything she wanted.

"Please... Nerio..." Chance said, weakly, as he began to choke. The next time he spat at Wicke, he was spitting blood. Wicke grinned. Revenge was sweet. It was a dish best served cold. This was her victory.

"Rain rain, go away," she sang quietly. "This is just the price you pay." She sent her blade through his neck until she felt it hit the ground, a triumphant grin spreading across her face as she stood up and flipped off the body.

 _Boom._

Victory. It was even sweeter than that day that she'd defeated Rhode. This was everything she had worked towards.

"Just for you Acacia," she said, grinning and twirling around as she looked up at the sky. "Only for you."

She looked one more time at Chance's pathetic dead body, watching as the bloodspots on the ground bloomed into white and maroon flowers.

Wicke knew she needed to get out of here before Nerio got back, so she quickly hurried off-

Wicke was stopped cold when she was hit with a force so strong it knocked her forward, down to the ground. When she hit the ground, she felt the exploding pain in her back that seemed to blossom like a fire.

"I believe _that_ belongs to you," a voice said. Wicke stared at the ground, in shock as the world around her started spinning.

How did this happen?

She knew how it happened. She lost control. She should have sneakily killed Chance and ran, but her need for the final word was what put her here.

 _Very well_ , Wicke thought. _I can still have the final word._

She felt a tingle in her throat and coughed, feeling warm metallic blood shoot out of her throat. She turned around, making her way to her feet, holding her war scythe tightly. She was still going to have the final word, they would all have to wait and see. She wasn't out yet.

"He deserved it," Wicke said, feeling dizzy. She took a couple long blinks and looked at the ground, where white and crimson flowers were starting to sprout. _No... This couldn't be..._

"You're welcome," Nerio said. "Didn't even thank me for returning the knife you so lovingly lent us. How rude."

Everything became blurry, but Wicke saw the towering blob of a person charge at her. She swung her war scythe as fast as she could, but it wasn't enough. Her world went into focus just to see Nerio's trident fly forward and collide with her chest. Her body fell to the ground and contorted, and just like that her chance at Victory was gone.

~.~.

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

 _Boom._

He couldn't breathe.

Nerio ripped his trident out of Wicke's chest, not even looking at her dead body sprawled out on the ground. He could care less about the white flowers sprouted, their centers the same color as the blood that she'd spilled from Chance's body.

And Nerio hadn't been there until it was too late.

Nerio hadn't been there to say goodbye. Hell, he hadn't been there to do anything... As soon as he heard the cannon he had this terrible feeling. He'd run back there, dragged the weird goat-like creature he had hunted. And as soon as he saw her there he didn't even think about what he was doing.

Now the entire camp reeked like blood. Two tributes were sprawled out on the ground, surrounded by roses of the same color, with different colors in the center. Nerio dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. He stared at Chance, who was covered in blood from his face to his hand... One of his hands laid on the ground, detached from his wrist. He had suffered, and Nerio didn't even know it. Nerio was out hunting... He never would have thought...

He never thought he would be living such a horrible nightmare... Everything had been going so perfectly and now it had all come crashing down right in front of Nerio's eyes. How had it gotten here?

Nerio reached out and gently caressed Chance's face in his hand, still expecting his eyes to flutter open and a smile to spread across his face. Nerio's stomach turned with Chance lied still, not moving.

"Oh come on silly," Nerio said, his voice strained with desperation and the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "Get up now. Come on babe, you're worrying me."

He was met with silence. Icy cold silence. Chance's eyes didn't open. If anything, the color was leaving his face, each second that passed he looked less and less like Chance, and more and more like a corpse.

"Chance..." Nerio looked into his face. "Please..."

He balled his hands into fists and squeezed his eyes closed, hoping that maybe if he blinked enough he could go back to those moments that Chance was breathing, that his heart was beating. He could feel the tears roll down his face. He lost him. He really lost him. Somehow Nerio was gone when Chance needed him the most. After everything Nerio had done to save him... He lost. Nerio wasn't good enough.

For the first time in his life, Nerio had something even better than the victory he had always dreamt of, and he'd lost it. How did he not know Wicke was in the area? Why did he think leaving Chance to fend for himself was a good idea!?

Nerio shook Chance's body violently, feeling bile push up at his throat as the puddles of blood ran down the side of Chance's face and neck. "Wake up! Dammit wake _up!_ _This isn't funny anymore!"_ Nerio was sobbing by the time the last word tore out of his throat. But Nerio knew if he were to wake up laughing, Nerio would forgive him immediately... But Chance didn't move. His mouth hung open when Nerio shook him.

"Please wake up..." Nerio said quietly, leaning over Chance's body, resting his forehead on Chance's stomach. "Chancellor Magnusun... Please..." Nerio sniffled and hiccuped as tears traced down his cheeks. "It's not funny anymore..."

Nerio grabbed handfuls of Chance's shirt, longing to hear him breathe again, like those nights they would lay together, as if nothing else mattered.

Nothing else mattered. Chance was the only thing that mattered. And he was gone. He wasn't breathing anymore.

"Get up! _Chance!_ I didn't' even get to say goodbye to you!" Nerio sobbed and hunched over again. "Chance, please... I didn't get to say goodbye..." Nerio sniffled and wiped his nose. "It's not funny anymore."

It was too late. Nerio was too late.

If... If he had only known that earlier that day would have been the last time he told Chance those three words... The last time Nerio would hear Chance say them... If Nerio had only known that goodbye was going to be their last... There was so much that Nerio didn't even get to say to him. There was so much that was going to be left unsaid, left out in the cold, to freeze and crack away like the love that was extinguished.

If Nerio had only known... He would have done so much differently. He would have memorized exactly how Chance looked when he smiled, when he was laughing, when his eyes lit up. He would have remembered exactly what Chance's lips felt like pressed against his own. He would have remembered, held tighter to every moment they had together. Enjoyed everything so much more... He would have told Chance how he felt so much earlier. He would have put everything out there, given Chance everything he could give, everything he was. If he had known, he would have died in his place.

Chance was the most wonderful thing he had. And Nerio had let the best treasure of all just... Slip through his fingers! Nerio stabbed a knife into the ground with all his might. He let Chance down, and now Nerio was in this game alone. And it was his own stupid damn fault.

He had done everything for Chance... And now everything they ever wanted for themselves, for each other, was gone. Nerio didn't even know what to do. He wanted to rip all those stupid white flowers out of the ground, and break every branch in sight, kill any living thing he could reach, he wanted to kick the trees, and scream until his voice ran out. He wanted to tell Chance all the things he didn't say. All the thoughts that he had kept quiet for fear of being too forward, or too sappy. All those times Nerio thought about the two of them sharing an apartment, all those times he thought about them making the two of them doing household chores together, thinking about the two of them adopting a dog. He was always worried about scaring Chance away, so he figured he'd tell him later.

But now there was no later.

Nerio knew that going on a rampage wasn't going to help him either. It seemed that was what Wicke did, and Nerio refused to stoop to her level. Through these entire Games Nerio had tried to be as just as he could be in the Games. There was just a point that he had to kill, because he had to survive. But when he did he at least tried to make it quick. He killed Joule quickly, he killed Ollie quickly... He tried to kill Syca quickly, but Riggs was charging and Nerio wasn't ready to jump into a fight. Not when he had to get back to Chance. He tried to be as merciful as he could, even if Chance wasn't. That was what he came into the Games to do. He came to win, but to win as quickly and painlessly as he could.

He never knew how much pain the Games were. In times like these, he thought maybe dying was just less painful. Knowing that he would have to venture on alone was a thought that was scary to Nerio. When he got here he was a lone wolf, but he had come to depend on having a teammate there. What was he going to do without Chance there beside him? Nerio still didn't know. When he said that Chance saved him, Nerio meant it. He meant everything he said to Chance, even when they were supposedly acting for the cameras. Nerio wasn't sure how long it was an act for Chance, but he wished he would have been forward with how he felt earlier. There were so many things Nerio would have done differently if he hadn't been so naïve and childish before. He had so many regrets, and they were always going to exist, for as long as Nerio lived.

"There was so much I didn't say..." Nerio said, staring at the ground, at the flowers that had sprouted around Chance's body. The same colors as the one Nerio had worn around his wrist that night. The night he was sure was the best night of his life. It was soon beat out by the first night laying on Chance's lap and knowing that the love between them was actually real. Way more than an act, it was something warm and real. That was the best night of Nerio's life.

And now he was gone. The memory was forever black and white. Something in the past that would never be real again. All because Nerio had failed.

It was too late to beat himself up for that too much, though. There was nothing he could do to change it and he knew that if Chance were there he wouldn't want Nerio to self-destruct over it. It was hard not to, though. It was hard not to hate himself, knowing how much he failed. Knowing that it was his fault Chance was laying dead.

Nerio heard the sound of hovercrafts approaching, and he felt desperation hit him like a wave. "Please don't take him from me!" Nerio shouted at the sky, as the claw came to pick up Wicke's body, the flowers blooming around the area that her body was laying. "Please don't take him! Please!" The claw came down, and Nerio knew he couldn't fight it. All he could do was step back and watch it take the love of his life away from him forever. The next time Nerio would see him would be at a funeral.

Nerio watched as a smaller claw descended to pick up the severed hand, and then all he could do was watch as Chance's body was taken up, up into the sky. They would clean up his body, and prepare it to be buried forever. Nerio buried his face in his knees. He was desperately waiting to feel those strong arms around him, feel the warmth of Chance's embrace. He was desperate to lay his head on Chance's chest and hear his heart beat. He was desperate to feel Chance's rhythmic breathing, up and down, up and down. He was desperate for Chance, but he knew that he was just deluding himself.

"It's not funny anymore," he whispered, hugging himself as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"It's not funny anymore.

It's not funny anymore.

It's not funny anymore."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Calm before the storm indeed! Hope you enjoyed this intense, action-packed chapter! We're getting close to the end of the Games and I hope to finish them before July! (Lofty goal, but I'm hoping I'll get at least close). It's getting harder and harder to not spoil things so I gotta get the action out before I slip!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Courtesy of David- What would you do if you heard about the string? Would you try to find it? If so would you cut it or try to use it.**_

 _ **Eulogies:**_

 _ **6**_ _ **th**_ _ **place- Chancellor "Chance" Magnusun, District 1 Male, Killed by Wicke Valentine, D1F**_

 _ **Chance was one hell of a first submission, honestly! I bet most of the people here will be surprised that he was your first submission tbh because he was just such a good character. I had an absolute blast writing him and especially his dynamic with Nerio (throwback to when I almost put Chance with Jacques lmao so glad that didn't happen). Chance was my Victor for a while, probably more than some of the tributes that are left. At the end, I just didn't think he fit as well as some of these guys. That being said, this guy was such a powerhouse, and he was there just when I needed him. He fought a hard battle but in the end, he made enemies with the wrong person. However, his memory will live on with Nerio and the other people he left behind! Thank you so much for this awesome character bLizzieard, he was an absolute joy to write! I hope you're doing well and if you're still reading, I hope you stick around to see how Nerio fares and consider submitting another awesome character to this story's sequel!**_

 _ **5**_ _ **th**_ _ **place- Wicke Valentine, District 1 Female, Killed by Nerio Thames, D4F**_

 _ **LEGEND! What a girl Wicke is. Honestly from the beginning she was so fun, bitter and angry, and she was also right there just when I needed her. She was so determined and so full of rage that in the end got the best of her. I'm sure her ghost is despairing for the rest of forever, but hopefully she'll find some form of peace with Acacia. Anyways, she was always a fun character and I did consider her for Victor for a little while, but ultimately I think we both knew all that pent-up anger was going to rear its head sometimes. At least she can exist knowing that she ultimately got her revenge. Also, many many MANY thanks for your friendship through the years and for all the advice and help you gave for the Arena! Thanks for letting me talk your ear off about my stories and for your wonderful characters! And if I try to spoil who wins to you, tell me no xD I don't want to spoil it, not even to my spoiler buddy. Can't wait to see your submission to 127!**_

 _ **Scores:**_

 _ **66samvr: 84**_

 _ **aceswims: 30**_

 _ **AKLNxStories: 25**_

 _ **Alecxias: 2**_

 _ **AllHailTheNerdiness: 215**_

 _ **AmericanPi: 90**_

 _ **AngelBlue1852: 10**_

 _ **Apollo's Slytherpuff Daughter: 113**_

 _ **Astralium (Guest): 10**_

 _ **TheAmazingJAJ: 204**_

 _ **Becksheart: 4**_

 _ **blimpfruit: 4**_

 _ **bLizzieard: 110**_

 _ **bobothebear: 14**_

 _ **calebbeers21: 6**_

 _ **Cass: 154**_

 _ **Cloe: 220**_

 _ **Coolgal02: 61**_

 _ **CrissKenobie-the-Numenorean: 110**_

 _ **Darkflame324: 10**_

 _ **DaughterOfTigris: 265**_

 _ **david12341: 320**_

 _ **deathless. smile: 15**_

 _ **District7axemurder: 15**_

 _ **Dreamer: 175**_

 _ **dreams and desperation: 120**_

 _ **Emrys Holmes: 98**_

 _ **TheEngineeringGames: 171**_

 _ **epictomguy: 248**_

 _ **XxXFangirlonlineXxX: 32**_

 _ **Feniks16: 10**_

 _ **Fire's Catching: 20**_

 _ **GalacticCoach: 78**_

 _ **Golden Moon Huntress: 229**_

 _ **goldie031: 349**_

 _ **hopefuldreamer1991: 364**_

 _ **Jeptwin: 2**_

 _ **johnspawndawn: 10**_

 _ **judmud: 4**_

 _ **jul312: 25**_

 _ **Lady Lysa Arryn: 127**_

 _ **later. glader: 290**_

 _ **Legend: 654**_

 _ **Littlefoot876: 10**_

 _ **Little Knight Mik: 74**_

 _ **Master Maedhros: 10**_

 _ **Mockingjay (Guest): 10**_

 _ **Mr. Panem: 4**_

 _ **Mystical Pine Forest: 50**_

 _ **Notary Sojac: 4**_

 _ **Nrrrd-Grrrl-Meg: 4**_

 _ **OfficialBengy: 85**_

 _ **OncerTillTheEnd: 4**_

 _ **paperairline: 34**_

 _ **xxPeppermintxx109: 159**_

 _ **Platrium: 379**_

 _ **Programming: 7**_

 _ **TheReaper94: 2**_

 _ **rosecatforever: 380**_

 _ **Rosemarie Benson: 12**_

 _ **RVTWriter: 5**_

 _ **ShunKazamis-Girl: 26**_

 _ **Silverdust64: 10**_

 _ **Singlewave: 15**_

 _ **stop-pulling-on-mariazell: 30**_

 _ **SparkALeah: 15**_

 _ **Sparky She-Demon: 54**_

 _ **tracelyn: 95**_

 _ **TyeTheLurker (Guest): 65**_

 _ **XxVallirenxX: 49**_

 _ **VeneratedArt: 130**_

 _ **the victor of panem: 71**_

 _ **watercolorgalaxies: 4**_

 _ **The Wandering Phantom: 5**_

 _ **We're All Okay: 71**_

 _ **W. R. Winters: 316**_

 _ **Xechaste: 4**_

 _ **youngpatriot: 44**_

 _ **See y'all next chapter!**_


	47. Day 12 & 13: Everything's Alright

_The twelfth day_

* * *

-Bec Pierre, 18, District 3-

Bec was holding on by a thread here. He had searched for days and hadn't found a source of water anywhere, and it seemed that the sponsors had abandoned him. No, it couldn't be that... It was probably just getting expensive to sponsor at this point. Hopefully someone would come up with enough money to get him something soon.

Then again, Bec had been hoping for some sponsor-sent water for a few days. He couldn't help but wonder if the cameras hadn't been on him enough for him to convey it. After all, Chance and Nerio were probably the show-stealers, and people had been dying left and right while Bec was there with no idea what was happening.

He had gotten plenty to eat, but there was only so much hydration in the various pieces of meat Bec had been eating and in the berries he'd picked up. The effects were starting to set in, though. His head was pounding and he was dizzy. Not to mention that he had slept until the sun was high in the sky that afternoon. Bec had to wonder if he was missing something, or if the Head Gamemaker was trying to make the four of them remaining desperate to get home. If it was the latter, Bec could confidently say it was working. He would have killed for a fresh drink of water. Anything to stop these headaches and the fatigue.

Three. Only three more people had to die for him to get back home.

Three. The District that was his home.

Three. The number of friends waiting for him to get home.

Three. The number of family members huddled together at home, biting their nails, pleading with some higher entity for the his safe return.

Three. Four sets of three days, that was how long he had been fighting.

Three seemed to be the magic number. Hopefully it would be a lucky number for him, too. Three's Victors were known for being lucky, and Bec knew he had the luck to keep this going.

But Fate was a wry mistress. She could turn her wheel against anyone at anytime, without them knowing. Not knowing until it was too late. Until it was far too late for them to change their destiny. Bec wasn't sure how much he believed in fate, but at this point, he couldn't deny that some things happen completely out of his control.

Maybe fate couldn't be changed, but Bec knew it could definitely be manipulated. Masterfully manipulated by someone clever enough to turn the dials. So far, Bec had maneuvered and manipulated his way out of situations that should have been the death of him. Only a few more and he would be back home, able to protect his friends and brother for the rest of time. He could practically feel it.

As exhausted as he was, Bec went hunting anyways. He hadn't had much luck at it, being unable to find tributes the entire time he's been on the island, but he hoped that soon he would get a stroke of luck and run into someone. If Bec could choose, he would have picked June, because of the tributes left, she seemed to be the easiest to take on. After seeing her lose Jasper, Bec figured she would self-destruct. And now that Nerio had lost his beloved Chance, Bec hoped he would do the same.

It was such a relief that the One tributes were out for the count. Bec had been hoping for the stronger tributes to wipe each other out, and so far that plan was working. If only Wicke had taken Nerio too. That would have been ideal for Bec. Hopefully Nerio will self-destruct and leave Bec to take the title.

Bec could only hope that June was still struggling to pick herself up after Jasper died before her. Dyna had mentioned before they died that there were steroids injected into each tribute, and Bec could only assume that they were meant to amp up the tributes' sexual and romantic tendencies.

Bec was pretty sure it didn't affect him. Part of him was nervous that maybe it would. He was worried that perhaps it would trick him and the other tributes into thinking they had these feelings, even if they didn't. Since it hadn't happened to him, Bec wondered what exactly was being ramped up in the tributes. As far as Bec could tell, it wasn't meant to give them artificial feelings, rather it was meant to increase the likelihood of real feelings appearing. That was a relief to him. That part of the twist had totally bypassed him.

And as much of a relief as it was, it was starting to worry Bec a little. By being surrounded (and hazed) by Capitolites, he'd learned a lot about the Capitol's view of outliers that didn't conform. And if there was one thing that Bec never did, it was conform. He was never anyone but himself, no matter what, no matter who was trying to define him. Bec could have pretended to have feelings for Dyna, hell, they could have even pretended to return them (though Bec was sure they definitely would not have done it, out of respect for Owen). That was why they got along so well, after all. Neither of them was intent on changing for anyone, especially not the Capitol. They were loyal to themselves, and to their friends and family, and to their home.

But maybe if Bec had pretended, he wouldn't have a cold pit of anxiety in his stomach. The Capitol didn't like people that were different, after all. And Bec had basically given them a big middle finger when he bypassed their beautiful Quell twist. Sure, the constant surveillance and charged relationships between tributes had an affect on him. He was affected indirectly by the Quell twist, by the party and the constant grab for sponsors, trying to act more confident, more capable than he was to get people to pay attention to him. And, without a romantic partner to prove himself to the crowd, he had to do it by his skill, and his luck.

It had been a hard road for him, but he wasn't going to stop here. Nah, if he was going to serve a steaming dish of fuck you to the Capitol, he would have to see this through. They were the ones that pulled Jace's name, after all. Bec had already defied them by taking his friend's place. And he was going to continue to defy them as long as he could, as long as he could put on a sweet face and get out of it.

Hopefully if he played the nice loyalist boy, he could skate by. After all, playing the nice boy act to get out of trouble was what Becquerel Pierre did best. And he wasn't about to let it slip now.

Bec kept walking until he heard something that sounded like a hiss and stopped in his tracks. In the brush, he started to realize that hundreds of pairs of beady little eyes were staring back at him. Within seconds, the creatures approached. They looked like raccoons mixed with dogs, and they weren't here to be cuddled (though, save for the whole deranged muttation thing, they were pretty cute).

Bec was starting to wonder if he never really stood a chance at all, but before he could think about it too much, the creatures jumped forward, snarling. As they came towards him, Bec saw that there were way too many of these creatures to count, and they were all ready to attack. It was like an actual stream of furry rage, all directed at Bec. One of the mutts chomped on Bec's leg, and he realized that there was no fighting these creatures, so he started running, feverishly kicking the leg that had exploded in pain thanks to the mutt until it released its grip.

As Bec stumbled forward and ran, he realized that the mutts could have been programmed to be much stronger. It was a bit suspicious that he was able to kick the mutt off with such ease, especially when he was thirsty and in pain. If the mutts weren't going to attack and kill him, that could only mean one thing. They were leading him somewhere. Bec picked up the pace, letting the weird racoon-dogs take him where they would.

Soon Bec realized where they were taking him, when he saw the boy from Six charging at him, screaming.

Of all tributes, Riggs was the last one Bec wanted to see. After all, he was probably full of vengeance, and not weighed down by losing someone he loved romantically. Like Bec, he had some friends go down, but everything he had was outside of this cursed dome. Really, the two of them weren't so different after all. Bec was regretful that it had to end this way, but he wasn't going to give up without a fight, and neither was Riggs.

Luckily for Bec, both of the weapons in Riggs's hands were close-range, just like the knife that was Bec's only real weapon other than his wit.

When Riggs ran, Bec was ready, sidestepping and staying on his toes. Bec was exhausted, but now was the time. The adrenaline pumped through his body as Riggs lunged for him again, slashing his knife. Bec knew he had to be crafty, because the boys were fairly evenly matched. Bec's advantage was his fighting knowledge and his clever brain. Surely he could outwit Riggs somehow. He just needed time to think.

Unfortunately for him, time was the one thing Riggs wasn't going to let him have. Riggs attacked repeatedly, as fast as he could. Bec had to focus on defense against Riggs's fast and unpredictable attacks. His mind was working slow from fatigue and a pounding headache, and Bec couldn't focus on more than one thing at once. Somehow he had to divert Riggs, but it seemed unlikely that was going to happen.

Bec kept sidestepping, trying to think of an idea while dodging Riggs when he felt a sharp pain brush against his arm. Bec knew he had to focus on the fight, and hoped that something would come to him on the way.

Riggs had no strategy, only blind attacks, but that was a strategy that was hard to defend against. Bec's reaction time was dwindling and he knew that it was now or never. Bec braced himself before running straight at Riggs, taking the offensive role, and jumping on him, sending him to the ground and slashing at his chest on the way. Riggs yelled out in pain as Bec felt a sharp pain explode through his stomach, causing him to cry out and Riggs, with a strained yell, threw the boy from Three off of him.

 _That was so dumb,_ Bec scolded himself, but he wasn't giving up yet. He and Riggs both scrambled to get back on their feet, but Riggs was up far faster than Bec, who grabbed his foot and pulled, trying to buy time. Time was all he needed.

Unluckily for Bec, Riggs didn't like waiting, and came in with another attack that Bec was too slow to stop. Bec's world spun out of focus, until all he could see was the brown eyes that were heavy with regret as he lost all energy and collapsed to the ground. Riggs said something that Bec could barely register as "sorry" until his body had collapsed on the grass.

Bec couldn't think straight, let alone process the what the word meant.

The world before him turned into a flash of white, but Bec was sure his death wasn't in vain.

~.~.

* * *

 _The twelfth night_

* * *

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Just like that, his hands were bloody.

Riggs knew he would be allowed to come out without doing it, without taking a life, but he certainly wasn't ready to do it. He could have lived his entire life and he wouldn't have been ready. It was stupid of him to hope that he could have gotten of the Games without doing it. It was just a little glimmer of hope in his heart, but now he had done it.

Riggs had no idea how he overcame the boy from Three. Bec was slow, not steady on his injured foot, and seemed somewhat dazed. He was also calculated. He was risky, but usually calculated. Riggs had too much on the line to be calculated. He gave up on plans years and years ago. Now, the only plan that Riggs had was to do whatever it took to win.

But whatever-it-took was far more painful than Riggs was expecting. Of course he knew it would tear at him to take a life, because he was human and not a psychopath. But Riggs had thought that it would pass, because of the adrenaline and because he knew it was one step closer to getting back home to Gian.

Somehow, that didn't help. It just felt like Riggs being selfish. Of course he was doing it all for his family friends, he was doing it all for Gian and for home, but... That didn't justify it in Riggs's mind. It sounded like Riggs was just making excuses. Why did so many people have to die just for Riggs to go back home to a life of lavish? Why was Riggs's life more important than Bec's? Why was it more important than June's? (Riggs briefly thought, _Why is my life more important than Nerio's_ for poetic value, but is set on revenge against the boy from Four for all the lives he and Chance stole.)

Riggs watched Bec's face flash in the sky after putting out his fire for the night. His hand instinctively went to the deep gash on his stomach that Bec left, which he had disinfected and bandaged. At this point, Riggs was beyond stealthing around. There were three left. If someone was going to battle him, they could come at him. They were all desperate to get out of here, after all.

Riggs just hoped the second, maybe the third kill would be easier than the first. As much as he tried to not think about it, just keep moving forward, he couldn't stop.

Bec's picture smiled down at him, but Riggs imagined that Bec really wouldn't smile at him, if there's any kind of afterlife that is.

Riggs twirled the silver with a dark gray inside around his fingers. It glinted slightly in the moonlight.

"Would you be mad that I have this?" Riggs asked. He almost felt like he didn't deserve to have it. He was the one that took Bec's life away, after all. "I hope you wouldn't be mad." He felt his chest grow heavier, so Riggs put the flower on the ground at his feet. "Oh, this is pointless," he muttered under his breath. "You don't want me to have this."

It was the same as Nerio taking one of Syca's flowers. Just the thought filled Riggs with rage. It was as if he took this fifteen-year-old's life, and had the audacity to take a flower in memory... Riggs was ashamed he had the audacity to take a flower in memory of the life he'd stolen. He was a murderer, he didn't deserve to hold onto this. It wasn't honoring his memory... It was just mocking him.

Riggs sighed and got up, leaving the flower and trying to find a good safe space to sleep in. He can't trust that the Gamemakers wouldn't let someone kill him in his sleep. After all, there were still three left. One more could die and they could still have their finale.

Unless someone really had the string. He imagined that if Nerio had it, he wouldn't have waited to use it with Chance. Or maybe he had it and held onto it, so he wouldn't lose his chance, even if he lost his Chance. (Riggs laughed a bit to himself at the unintentional stream-of-consciousness pun.) Nerio was strategic like that. But somehow Riggs doubted that he had it.

But maybe June had it.

And if June had it, she also had nobody to use it with.

Maybe, just maybe... Riggs would only have to take one more life. Or zero, maybe she'd get to him first. (Though, in all honesty, Riggs wanted to take Nerio out. He had to, so he could avenge both of his allies who were killed by that very trident. He was ready to avenge Syca and Joule, and whoever else Nerio and Chance may have taken out. Riggs needed to be the one that took Nerio out. But maybe... Just maybe, June had the string and they could escape together.

Riggs barely knew the girl from Nine, but surely if she had a brain she would realize that not killing is better than taking another life. Maybe, just maybe...

Oh, what was the point? Riggs couldn't get his hopes up again. He had already done it once, and that didn't work out for him. He just had to accept that to win he would have to take two lives. One that would be easy, and one that would be... Harder. Maybe he didn't know June, but he had a feeling she was a decent human being, and she really hadn't done anything wrong. She had suffered and hurt just like he had, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to steal another life.

Riggs was dozing off when a new thought came into his head.

 _No._ He sat straight up, eyes opening. _I'm not like him._

Riggs would have been angry if Nerio had taken Syca's rose. Maybe Nerio, someone who trained for the Games, someone that knew he was going to kill and willingly entered the Arena anyways, someone who left a fifteen-year-old to die slowly and painfully, someone who teamed up with a ruthless murderer like himself, would not be worthy of holding Syca's rose.

But Riggs was _not_ Nerio.

He never asked for this. He didn't want to be here, and he didn't want to kill. He wanted to have a fair fight with Bec, and he still wasn't sure why he deserved to be alive. He wasn't mocking Bec's memory by remembering him...

Riggs quickly got to his feet and picked the rose back up, spinning it around in his fingers.

"I'm so sorry I had to do this to you, Bec," Riggs said quietly. "But if you don't mind... I think I'm going to hold on to this." Riggs held the flower to his chest and took a deep breath. He wanted to honor Bec's memory. And hoped that this was the right thing to do in order to do so. "I want to continue your legacy."

With that, Riggs's eyes started to drift closed, and he laid back down where he was before. Riggs still felt guilty, still wasn't totally sure he deserved to have won the battle.

But he did win, and nothing Riggs said or thought would change that. And now he had to prove that he won for a reason. He would be getting home to his friends and family, but now, he wanted to do something bigger. Something more important than himself, something to impact people that Riggs didn't even know. There was a purpose that was bigger than him, and Riggs added it to the ever growing list of reasons he had to get back home. He was going to do his best to honor them all, and that was more important than the things Riggs was so focused on before. Too bad it took becoming a murderer to realize that.

Riggs's mind was racing with thoughts as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

~.~.

* * *

 _The thirteenth day_

* * *

-June Fisher, 18, District 9-

God, it was so close. Someone had taken out Bec, and now there were three tributes left.

Did June deserve to be here? Probably not. That much was true. She was aware of the fact that she didn't do anything noble or righteous to earn her way to the final three. So many had gone before her that were far better than her, but somehow she was the one that was left.

June couldn't fathom why she was still alive. She wasn't sure she bought into the whole fate shit, and obviously there was nothing close to justice and define retribution in the Hunger Games. She had seen it time and time again. The ones that got out weren't the pure ones. They were the ones that weren't afraid to do what they had to. June had proven herself to be one of those.

Maybe she hadn't lived a perfect life, but an Arena, who did? They were all flawed, they were all marked by death, and they were all sinners. Maybe if there was such a thing as fate, it would handle their bad deeds, but at this point, there was no right or wrong. Only chaos, and death. There was death, and less death. So far June liked to think she belonged to the less death category, but who knew? She was starting to add to her kill count, and before the Games ended she would have to add to it again.

Maybe June didn't deserve to be alive, but she had fought so hard to get to this point and she wasn't about to let it go to waste. She had wronged Jasper, but in the end he had forgiven her by giving her a second chance. A second chance to escape the sinking ship and go to shore. Somehow she had been the first to arrive to the island, and from there she really started to prove herself.

She had been sponsored the bow and arrows, and she was going to prove that she could use them. In her downtime, she had been practicing her archery, making sure that the three arrows she had left would be used as accurately as she could get them. She knew that now wasn't the time to be wasteful with her arrows, especially when they were the only thing she really had. Along the way she had picked up some rocks that looked pointy, hoping that if she lost her arrows she could at least use her bow as a slingshot of sorts, or just as throwing projectiles. Then maybe she could fall out of the tree on top of her opponent and kill them.

She didn't know how long her opponents could climb, but she was only hoping that they'd be slow enough that that she could throw everything she could at them until they were dead or too weak to keep going. Then she could body slam them to their doom. So much time alone really helped her come up with a plan, how she could win. She wanted to win, so she could mentor beside Prentice and Vale could finally retire. She wanted to fill her District's citizens' stomachs with food, just like hers had been the previous year. And, even though she had wronged Jasper, she wanted to continue watching out for her family. She wanted to get back home so badly. She wanted to live so badly.

Maybe June had done wrong, but she wanted to live the life to atone for it. She had so much left to do. She wanted to turn her life around now. She realized that she couldn't just waste the rest of her life away with alcohol trying to escape her problems. June had value, and potential, and she needed to live to that, and never forget it. She had fought too long, too hard, just to keep surviving, and now that Jasper was gone, she had to win in his honor. She hadn't done anything to earn his forgiveness, and he'd given it to her anything. But now, she wanted to earn it. She would do whatever it took to earn the forgiveness she didn't deserve. It might take the rest of her life, but some way, somehow, she wanted to earn it, to make Jasper proud of her. He wouldn't be proud if she gave up her chance and surrendered to death.

June was done wasting her life. She wanted to make something out of it. And now that she was in the Games, in the final _three_ for heaven's sakes, she was ready to earn the title and make a name for herself. It was time to stop wallowing in her own self-pity and trying to run away from the things that scared her. It was time for June to woman up and face her demons. It was time for her to take the blame when she needed to, and do exactly what she had to in order to get back home to her people.

After all, that was what Prentice did. Prentice put his reputation on the line in order to protect Jasper and June, and she wasn't going to let that gift go to waste. She was going to get back and fight for Nine's tributes by his side. He knew what it was like to be scarred like her, and they could work through it together. Things were really looking up for June, and all she had to do was grab the opportunities that were being thrown her way. If she dropped them, she could never earn anyone's forgiveness, whether it be Jasper's, Prentice's, or her own.

June only hoped that she could earn her opponents' forgiveness, because she wasn't letting anyone get in the way between her and victory. She knew that the finale was going to come soon, probably within the day, and June was ready to take on whoever came her way.

Maybe she'd get lucky and escape uninjured.

Or maybe the worst was yet to come.

~.~.

-Nerio Thames, 17, District 4-

Nerio was on-edge. He just wanted to end this. He was sure that June and Riggs wanted to end it. He was sure that the Capitol wanted to end it. It had been over ten days, over ten days of heart-wrenching death and loss. And much of it was caused by him. He was well aware of that, he was sure he would never forget what he saw. What it felt like to slaughter other people with his trident. Far different from hunting fish, that was for sure.

 _Don't think about it now, Nerio,_ he chided himself. _You just have to focus on the present until you get out. You can have regrets later._ He was trained to win, and that was why he was here. He had gone against his training _enough_.

They'd warned him to avoid getting close to others, even with the Quell twist. Even if he played it for sponsors, Nerio felt dumb for letting his real feelings overtake him. The happiest tributes are also the most doomed. Nerio knew it going in, and he had succumbed to the temporary joy he'd felt with Chance, while his trainers and everyone who helped him get here watched and wanted to pull their hair out in frustration. They knew what was going to happen to him, but he was in too deep to be saved by that point. All they could do was let him learn his lesson, and that was what he'd done. They probably yelled that he was being stupid at their TVs, their advice and love bouncing right back off the glass. Percival was probably laughing his ass off now. After Nerio got the chance to go into the Quell, there would be nothing more that bastard would want than to see him miserable. Nerio would forever be an example of Careers that rode high and lost it all.

He was starting to think that none of this was even worth it. Maybe Chance made him happy, but now he was gone, and Chance would never make him happy again. His memory would always make Nerio sad, so why had he gone through all of the emotional distress that came with falling in love?

At the time he thought it would be worth it. That even if he lost Chance, these few days of joy would be worth it somehow. Somehow Nerio would learn from them, somehow they would help him grow or teach him something about himself. That somehow, even if he lost Chance one way or another, being with Chance made him a better person somehow. Maybe he thought the grief would make him stronger, or maybe he thought Chance was changing him somehow. Maybe he was just overcome with lovesickness, and deceived himself into thinking that it would be worth something. Maybe he was so excited to finally be out and proud, and wanted to be free for the first time. It was just intoxicating to love and to be loved. An amazing feeling. Nerio felt indestructible. He was convinced nothing would happen to him, or Chance, or their relationship.

Reality had an ugly face, and Nerio had finally seen it when it was too late.

Nerio had no idea why he thought this would be a good idea. He didn't know why he let himself go, let himself become one with someone else when it wasn't even a sure thing that they could have won together. At the time, the risk had seemed worth it to Nerio. But now that he had lost the person that was worth everything to him, he was questioning himself at every turn. He'd fucked up, and now all of his memories were black and white, the boy in them a specter, because Nerio had failed to protect him. Ultimately, he had caused all of his misfortune, it was all his fault that he was here now, feeling so broken at a time when being broken wasn't an option.

The meat he had for lunch tasted like nothing, which was exactly what Nerio felt like inside. He felt like a specter himself, he couldn't figure out his value anymore. What did he have to live for if it wasn't for protecting Chance? What was his purpose, besides winning the Games and becoming his parents' trophy? He loved his parents and was just hoping that this would make them feel like a family, like the families Nerio saw on TV.

He was trying to bring people together, but it was hard to do when he was falling apart.

Would he always feel like this? Would he always feel this broken? Would he always be this hollow? Would he ever be able to get past what happened here?

Nerio sucked in a breath, taking a sip of water from his thermos. Surely he would heal if he won... He wasn't like the future morphling from Six or the future sex addict from Nine. He had a family to put back together, and an Academy to oversee. He had a legacy to live out, and if it meant taking two more lives, so be it. He was going to be the sole Victor. Even if someone had the string, the thought of winning with the person who took the string, and the opportunity to win with the man he loved made him sick to the stomach. Maybe if the other two used it to team up against him he'd only have to make one more kill to get out.

Yeah, Riggs was justified in his hunger of revenge, and Nerio knew that the Capitol was waiting to see them battle. Nerio knew it would be a hard fight. Maybe it would have been, the first time they met, if Joule hadn't sacrificed himself. But now, now that Nerio had taken two of Riggs's allies away, and now that they were in the final three (maybe final two, if June goes first), it would be a hard battle. Riggs would be desperate to get out, desperate for revenge, and it would definitely make him put up a formidable fight. Nerio could only hope that his training would put him on top of Riggs's blind vengeance. Maybe Riggs would blow up like Wicke did, and it would be easy. But something about the way Riggs had attacked him right after Nerio stabbed Syca made Nerio know that it was going to be a hard fight. He secretly hoped that June would take him out first, but he was positive the Capitol wouldn't let that happen. It had to be a battle.

June was just a wildcard. Nerio wasn't sure if he could remember ever seeing her after the first day at the Bloodbath. He had no idea what she had, or how she managed to get to the Final Three. Maybe she'd found a hiding spot and hadn't killed anyone yet. Maybe she went off the deep end and tortured tributes. Maybe she had fought and was injured, and was now on her way out. Nerio just didn't know, and that was foreboding to him.

Even though Nerio wasn't sure how the other two were faring, he knew that the Games would be over within a day. The thought of getting home made him count down the seconds that he would be left to sit here, covered in sweat and mud, surrounded by the memories of what once was. He was desperate to get out. But he was going to play the waiting game, hoping that June and Riggs would take each other out.

Nerio spent the afternoon resting and doing some light stretching. He would need to save his energy for whenever they were going to be brought together. He had to be ready for the final fights that would seal his Victory, that would get him back home, so he could start healing for real. He was determined to get out, and be one of the most influential Victors Panem's ever seen. There were too many people counting on him to let them down now, even if he was hurting and breaking. It was time to channel that hurt and anger into Victory.

Nerio was eating dinner and watching the sun sink when he heard a rumbling sound approaching him. When he looked towards the sound, he noticed a stampede of those weird goat-like things that were coming straight at him. There were so many and they ran so fast that the ground beneath him felt like it was shaking. Nerio dropped all of his supplies on the ground, taking nothing but his trident and a knife on a belt around his waist.

He wouldn't need to survive anymore. It was time to fight.

Nerio started running from the stampede, as fast as he could, towards the sun, which was setting quickly in front of him in an array of pinks and oranges. The sky was dark, glittering with stars and the bright light of an enlarged moon that allowed Nerio to see a silhouette in the distance.

* * *

 _The thirteenth night_

* * *

Nerio held up his trident and looked into the face of his first opponent.

Riggs's eyebrows creased as he glared at Nerio.

"For Joule. FOR SYCA!"

Riggs came running at Nerio, full-force.

The finale had begun.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: And we're down to three! Man, I can't believe the finale is next chapter. Usually I only do a two-person finale, but this time I wanted to do three because it's more dramatic, of course. I can't believe we have our final 3, honestly... It feels like just yesterday that I had literally zero idea who was even gonna die in the bloodbath, let alone win. Thank you all so much for sticking by me, for all of your support and reviews and for all of your thoughts. I value them very much!**_

 _ **4**_ _ **th**_ _ **Place- Becquerel Pierre, District 3, Killed by Riggs Fidler, D6**_

 _ **Man, I loved Bec so much, and knew that he was gonna have plenty of chaos to cause in the Arena. He was a contender for Victor for a while, but in the Arena I didn't really know where else to go with him, and I knew that even if Lux would have wanted him to win, he ultimately wouldn't have been allowed, considering Bec is a known enemy of the Capitol and, as you said Mik, he gave a big middle finger to the twist. So sadly, his journey had to end here. But he was an amazing character that was always so much fun to write. I like my mysterious trickster, and he had other layers than just that too, which was awesome. He was loyal to his friends, defiant to those who did wrong, and the perfect combination of spitfire and big brother. I'm so excited that I had the chance to bring him to life, and I hope you enjoyed my portrayal of him! Thanks so much for this disaster child Mik, I hope you stick around to see who steals the title, and submit to Whims of Fate! ;)**_

 _ **And now that we're at the finale, sponsoring is officially CLOSED! Therefore I'm not going to put scores on chapters anymore, but I'm keeping track of them. I think next time I'll just put all the scores on my profile or something, lol. Anyways, that's in the future.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Final placement prediction, and final placement preference?**_

 _ **Can't wait to see you all next chapter at the finale! I hope it doesn't disappoint!**_


	48. The Thirteenth Night: Victory

_The thirteenth night_

* * *

-Riggs Fidler, 18, District 6-

Riggs saw stampedes of mutts approaching him, and he knew it was time for this to end.

He was just ready to get home, he was so ready to kill two more people and return home to District Six where he belonged. God, he could practically smell the air, he could practically taste the coffee on Gian's lips, he could practically feel the embrace of Neeka, and of his brothers.

When he saw the figure running towards him, Riggs's heart started to pound. Of course the Capitol wanted to see this showdown, and of course Riggs was looking for revenge, but... He wasn't sure if he was ready.

Now he didn't have any choice. It was time to do what he had to, ready or not. The more Nerio's silhouette came into focus, the harder Riggs's heart pounded, and the more anger pounded in his chest. This was the person who had killed so many. And if Riggs wasn't ready, Nerio would kill him too.

Riggs steeled himself, his face contorting into an angry glare as the District Four boy came running at him.

"For Joule," he said to himself quietly. "For SYCA!" There was no time to waste. Riggs came charging forward with a yell, running straight towards fate.

Nerio was ready, trident held up. He was ready to kill Riggs.

Riggs had let go of his supplies, keeping the flowers safely in his pocket. He hadn't decided on anything to bring as a token, but now he had two tokens that were far more important to him than anything he could have come up with to bring from home. They represented people that were far more important to Riggs than he ever thought they would be. He was proud to represent them and to hold onto this piece of them, and he was going to avenge his allies' deaths.

He wasn't going to let the same trident take him that took them. No way in hell.

Nerio launched into the offensive, and Riggs dodged, briefly watching the mutts run away before realizing he had to focus on the fight. He couldn't afford to lose. Riggs tried throwing the knife he'd taken from Bec at Nerio, hoping that it would strike and slow him down.

Unluckily, Riggs wasn't a master knife thrower, and the handle hit Nerio in the shoulder, barely stopping him. If anything, it caused him to pause for moment. Hopefully it would at least leave a bruise.

Nerio kept attacking though, jabbing his trident forward and causing Riggs to have to move back, away from it. Riggs stayed on his toes, leaping and running so that he would be a harder target to get. He just had to find an opening.

Riggs narrowly avoided a stab, the point of the trident grazing his shirt as he gasped in surprise. Nerio swore to himself but didn't stop, quickly getting his bearings back and picking the trident back up, giving Riggs a hard look before charging again. Riggs ran out of the way as fast as he could, running straight at Nerio and trying to tackle him from the side. The only way he was going to be able to use these weapons was from up close, and with Nerio's trident that was going to be a challenge. Riggs had to get him on the ground.

Nerio immediately started kicking, striking Riggs where the sun didn't shine and shoving the boy off of him. Nerio swiftly got back up on his feet, ready to attack.

"Not cool dude!" Riggs said through gritted teeth, but he knew he couldn't let the pain stop him. Riggs decided to throw his other knife as a diversion while he stopped seeing white out of the corners of his vision from that hit. This time, the knife blade hit Nerio's arm, and though it didn't stick, it at least hit the skin and caused it to bleed. The pain did put Nerio off until Riggs's crotch stopped throbbing, which was all he needed.

Nerio's teeth were clenched as he swung the trident at Riggs, trying to subdue him. Riggs tried to kick his legs, maybe return the favor Nerio had dealt before. His kicks were timid, though, because the trident kept jabbing out. Riggs refused to get stabbed by the trident, though, he'd been through too much for that.

Maybe it wasn't like him to be this careful, but at this point there was far too much at stake for him to attack recklessly. Riggs couldn't possibly find a way to take on the offensive. Maybe he could with Bec, someone who also only had close-range weapons, someone who was discombobulated, but with a trained Career that had a trident, it was much harder for Riggs to go on offense. And throwing weapons were definitely out of the question.

Riggs considered throwing his dagger, but decided to hold onto it tightly, until the bitter end. He couldn't make that shot and he knew it. If he wanted to attack Nerio, the killer of his allies, his friends, with a weapon like that, he would have to attack close. Riggs's heart pounded in his chest, and he could practically feel adrenaline pumping through his whole body.

Nerio's attacks were getting faster, and all Riggs had now was a dagger. He could only dodge for so long like this before his stamina was going to run out. Riggs wasn't ready to give up yet. It was time for him to take a risk somehow.

He decided to go for one of his knives that was laying on the ground behind Nerio. Riggs dodged attacks, looking for the knife in the meantime. Riggs was naturally good at noticing things while doing something else, and hopefully it would end up working in his advantage. Riggs started dodging in the direction of the lost knife, trying to keep an eye on the handle as he dodged the trident's swings and jabs.

 _It's time to risk it._

Riggs took a running start towards the knife, but before he could he was thrown to the ground by Nerio's weight. Riggs tried to stab his attacker, but Nerio was trained. He had Riggs's hands pinned too quickly. Riggs struggled against him.

"You know I don't want to do this Riggs," Nerio said. Riggs didn't want to hear what Nerio had to say to him. He didn't want to hear it at all. He continued struggling under Nerio's weight, trying desperately to find a way out of this. It was getting to be too late. Nerio looked regretful as he lifted his trident. "I will make it quick."

 _I didn't even get to say sorry!_ Riggs thought, panic coursing through him, tears pricking at his eyes as he screamed and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he'd lost his chance, just like that.

"I'm so sorry Syca," Riggs said, struggling with another scream, trying to wrestle free of Nerio's grip.

"I'm sorry too," Nerio said.

"No! Don't you say that!" Riggs screamed. In one last attempt, Riggs channeled all his energy into throwing the boy off of him. " _FOR GIAN!_ " Riggs threw his weight to the side.

Nerio didn't budge.

"I'm sorry Riggs." Nerio thrust the trident forward, as Riggs's mind raced with all the things he didn't get to say, the apologies he didn't get to give, the things he would never get to do. The people, dead and alive, that he let down.

Riggs had failed.

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Nerio screamed, and Riggs's eyes flew open. The trident was pointed straight at his chest, but he wasn't dead. Instead Nerio had an arrow clean through his shoulder.

Riggs didn't hesitate a minute, he threw the District Four boy off of him and drove his dagger through Nerio's chest. His eyes opened wide with shock, as the blood dripped out of his chest, making teal flowers with dark teal centers sprout on the ground around him.

Riggs retrieved one of his knives and was about to stab him again when he heard the cannon.

 _Boom!_

It was music to Riggs's ears.

Riggs got to his feet. He had done it. He had gotten revenge.

He looked down at Nerio's dead body, eyes still wide with shock, and his heart beat harder. He had gotten revenge for Syca, and for Joule. Finally, he'd eliminated the person who had taken so many lives away, two of them the lives of his own allies. They had been avenged. Now Nerio was dead, just like all of them.

Riggs wasn't sure how he should feel. Maybe he should feel joyful, and proud. The asshole is gone, he's been killed. His allies have been avenged and now there was only one person standing between him and Victory.

But in that moment, he didn't feel any of those things. He felt grief, strike him all over again, at the sight of another dead body. The dead body of someone who really had just been trying to get home. Someone who had mercy on Joule. Someone who had killed, and done wrong, but... Well, Riggs had killed now. And he had done plenty of wrong in his life. He still hated the guy, and certainly didn't think he deserved to win. But he could understand him a little better.

Riggs didn't know what made him do it, but he knelt down and picked a teal flower out of the ground.

Riggs should have laughed to see him dead, he should have danced over the dead body and kicked it, stabbed it again and again as revenge, but Riggs didn't want to do any of those things. He didn't want to laugh, he didn't want to ruin the body any more than it already was. In his heart, he knew that wasn't what Syca would have wanted, it wasn't what Joule would have wanted.

A single tear slid down Riggs's cheek and hit the ground by Nerio's body. They definitely would have wanted Riggs to avenge them. But not any more than this.

Riggs stared at the flower in his hand, before putting it in his pocket with the others.

"I can't say I forgive you. But I will say that I'm going to fight for you."

Riggs left the body, squinting up at the trees for his next opponent. It didn't take long to hear her slow-clapping and find her, sitting up on a tree branch with her feet dangling in the air, watching him and holding her bow.

"Very touching," she said, continuing to clap her hands. "Aren't you just the picture of moral purity?"

Riggs crossed his arms defensively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you picked up that rose and you even got the one dramatic tear there. Really, straight out of a movie." June kissed her fingers and opened them to the air. "So dramatic. So spicy."

"You want to talk about dramatic? How about you, waiting until I was about to die to help me out?"

June shrugged. "I like a little dramatic flair."

"Why didn't you take me out?"

"And risk that jack winning? Nah. He deserved to get third. Rest in piss bub."

Riggs almost laughed, but stopped himself. They were the final two, after all. There was no time for any more banter.

"I assume you're not coming down from there?" Riggs asked.

"Not until I win." She shrugged.

"Then I'll have to get creative." Riggs started towards the tree.

"No, need." June smirked, and before Riggs could do anything, she pulled back an arrow and fired it right at him.

~.~.

-June Fisher, 18, District 9-

June's fingers let the arrow go, a small smirk spreading across her face.

The arrow hit the bullseye of her target, and June released a breath she'd been holding. Finally.

Finally, the Victory was hers. She had been waiting so long for it, and now she was finally ready to get back home to her District. To her friends, her family.

 _Boom._

June felt a little bad it had to be this way, but she just couldn't help it. She didn't want to spend too long bantering, and though Riggs went with it a little bit, June just had to get it over with. She didn't want to drag this on, and honestly she was surprised it hit the target perfectly on the first try. She supposed that her constant practice had paid off. June took a deep breath, ready for all of the things that Victory entailed. She had fought so hard and earned this. She had done everything, but ultimately it was in honor of Jasper. Everything she'd done was in honor of Jasper, and he was the only tribute in the Arena that was important. The only one she had ever wanted to win with.

"Why the hell did you say boom?! You missed me!" came the voice from below, seething with rage for being caught off guard.

June smiled to herself. This one would do just fine.

"I didn't miss actually."

Riggs glanced behind him to the arrow lodged in a tree behind him, and noticed the glowing red string that was attached to the end of the arrow. The way it glowed in the dark of night made Riggs's eyes tear up more.

June jumped down from the tree. It was what Jasper would have wanted. Jasper, and Ollie, and her other allies. They would have wanted her to give someone else a chance. She couldn't cut the string after that. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"But..."

June jumped down from her place atop the tree. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she took her quiver and yelled, "This bitch empty. YEET!" before wailing it into the forest, soon throwing the bow after it.

"Why did you do that to me!?" Riggs asked, untying the string from the arrow and staring at it in his hands. June had to admit, it was fucking gorgeous in the night. Probably why old Lux had to wait on the finale. "A simple, _I have the string._ _Let's get out of here_ would have sufficed."

"I said I like a little dramatic flair," June said, shrugging.

"Oh God. I hate you." Riggs was clutching his chest.

"Don't have a heart attack and die, okay? That would negate the whole point of this. You were the one I actually _wanted_ to win with."

"You would be the one that gave it to me." Riggs said, before looking at June in surprise. Her face looked tired and worn in the moonlight. "But... Why me?"

June glanced down at the string in his hands, sparkling red that looked like it was made by the gods themselves. Not by some dork that probably lived alone with, like, ten cats, and didn't have a social life outside of playing card games with teenagers.

"Well, I don't know. You just... Remind me of him." Her face immediately softened as she looked up at him. "Of Jasper, I mean." She brushed some hair behind her ear, her eyes glinting with the makings of tears in the moonlight. "And... Well, Prentice gave me an unfair advantage. And... Well, I didn't want it to totally screw Gian over. I thought... If I could save you... Maybe Gian would forgive him. Prentice really cares, and..." June broke eye contact with Riggs. "I will never get to make it right with Jasper. But... Prentice can make it right with Gian." June reached up and wiped her eyes. "Also, together our Districts are 69, and it's important to me that the winners of the love Quell are the 69 pair."

Riggs, whose eyes had become misty in the light of the string, let out a laugh. "That's important information to me too."

June and Riggs, through misty eyes, exchanged big grins.

"Now, let's get out of this hellhole," June said. "You ready?"

Riggs took a deep breath, looking around at everything one last time. The large moon. The stars. The huge, dark mountains in the distance. The grass at his feet, the trees that touched the sky. Then, he took June's outstretched pointer finger, and tied the string around it. "I'm ready to get back home."

June then reached over and returned the favor, tying the red string of fate around Riggs's pointer finger, nice and tight.

As soon as she had tied the knot, the string glowed, even brighter than before, illuminating Riggs's grinning face in the red light.

All around June and Riggs, specters of the previous tributes appeared, all of them surrounded by the aura of their rose colors. June's allies flew past her, all of them laughing, sounding happier than June had ever heard them as the string disappeared from June and Riggs. The orange specter of Jasper whisped all the way around her, and June spun with it. He was laughing. This was what he wanted. This was _exactly_ what he wanted. June just knew it.

"I'm going to make you proud of me," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. She glanced over to where Riggs was spinning around with the bright green specter of Syca and the yellow ghost of Joule. The deceased surrounded them like shooting stars. The pink specter of Ollie flew away from June, and she heard him say "Thank you," as he passed Riggs, on his way to Jacques, who was still close to June.

She noticed the specters of Chance and Nerio chasing each other. She watched as the specters of Wicke and Acacia danced together. The spirits of Kaelys and Ashlyn flew up past the trees together, lighting up the sky as if they were touching the stars. The specter of Desiree ran alongside the spirit of Persei, up, down and all around. Desiree's spirit stopped to swirl around Riggs, who was beaming at her. She heard Dyna laughing as they flew up into the sky, being chased by Bec. Luna's spirit was floating around the bushes, shedding light on them. The specters of Dania and Miya flew up, around the trees, and came back down. The specters of Semper and Daria danced over to her, surrounding her and laughing, saying "Thank you!" June's heart melted. She had avenged them.

"You're going to be a wonderful Victor," Semper said in her ear. June glanced over at Riggs, who was dancing with the spirits of Joule, Syca, and Bec swirling around him. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. It was beautiful. In the darkness of night, the spirits of the tributes shined, whether they had taken human form or were whizzing around like shooting stars.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I know what I have to do."

Then she ran over to Attila's spirit, and threw up her middle fingers. "FUCK YOU!" she yelled with glee. "FUCK YOU RIGHT IN THE ASS YOU TIDE POD-LOVING FUCK!" she cackled maniacally as she caught sight of Jasper again and her eyes filled with more tears. She really wanted to do him well, for the rest of her life. It was a promise.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Lux's voice rang out through the Arena, over the sounds of the specters laughing. "I now present to you, the _Victors_ of the 125th Hunger Games... Riggs Fidler of District Six, and June Fisher of District 9!"

June fell to her knees when he said it, and Riggs soon followed suit. It had taken so much to get to this point, and frankly she was a little bit in disbelief.

"Congrats, _Victor_." Riggs said, which made June blink at him, before breaking into a smile.

"Thanks," she laughed a little. "Congrats to you too. _Victor_." She winked.

They both heard the hovercraft up above, and saw the ladder coming down to them. Riggs and June got to their feet, and as soon as June was there she felt Riggs grab her into a tight hug. "Thank you," he said quietly, his voice still quivering slightly.

June hugged back, just as tightly. "Well I certainly wasn't going to win with _Nerio_."

Riggs laughed a little bit. "Last one to the ladder's a rotten egg!" he shouted, running towards the ladder and cackling maniacally.

"Hey! No fair!" June yelled running after him and lunging for the ladder. Both were paralyzed against it, but that didn't stop Riggs from laughing.

"You're the rotten egg," he said, laughing.

"Oh, this isn't over," June said, grinning. "This is only the beginning."

.

There were doctors waiting at the top, but soon they were pushed out of the way by two teenage boys, both of them running at their tributes at the speed of light.

Prentice almost tackled June in a bone-crushing hug, which she quickly returned.

"Congratulations June. You deserved it."

"Thanks. But it was in part because of you." June hugged him tighter at that. "Wait. You're not my mentor. Where the hell is Vale?" June didn't let go of him though. She could feel a heart beating and she honestly wasn't sure if it was hers or his. Not that his would have a reason to pound. He hadn't just won the fucking Hunger Games!

"Oh yeah," Prentice said sheepishly, letting go of her and scratching the back of his neck. June noticed her mentor standing patiently and ran towards him with all her might. He picked her up and spun her around, both of them laughing with the sounds of Gian and Riggs crying and kissing in the background.

"Two in a row," she said, grinning at him.

Vale grinned back, a glint in his eyes that June hadn't seen before. "Two in a row. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you for the bow! God, I would have been so dead without it."

"About that... It isn't me you should be thanking."

June looked confused as Vale gestured to the escort who was leaning against the wall and trying to look aloof. June approached her escort proudly.

"Thanks Demetrius. Now your forehead is prophetic, congratulations."

Demetrius's lips went up in a bit of a smile that he tried to hide. "Whatever. Maybe I'll be promoted next year."

"I think someone secretly cares," June said, tapping his chest.

"Stop it, I don't secretly care!"

"Oh I think you do," June's grin widened.

"Stop this!"

"Either way I'm always gonna be your first Victor, so get used to it. Maybe next year you'll actually treat your tributes like _humans_ and not like piles of shit! Eh?"

Demetrius rolled his eyes, but a smile was spreading across his lips. "Maybe."

"Good enough for me."

"June," Prentice said, touching the small of her back gently. "They want to take you to the examining room now."

June noticed that Riggs was getting in the hospital bed they had for him, kissing Gian's hand and waving to Jovia as they took him back.

"Alright," June said. "But you and Gian gotta have your peer mediation while we're out."

Prentice glanced nervously at the Victor from Six, who was still crying, thankfully taking tissues from a box Jovia had brought for the occasion.

"Yes, you have to. Take me away boys."

Prentice gave June a small smile. "Good luck."

June laughed a bit. "Heh. You're going to need more luck than me, Sugar." Prentice didn't even get to protest before the paramedics rolled her away, where they would make sure her wounds weren't infected and beauty her up again for her interview as a Victor.

June Fisher, the cheater.

June Fisher, the sinner.

June Fisher, the drunkard.

June Fisher, the daredevil.

June Fisher, the failure.

June Fisher, the regretful.

June Fisher, the changed.

June Fisher, the fighter.

June Fisher, Half of the 69 power duo.

June Fisher, the Victor.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: And there's our finale! Lol, I ran away with the happy at the end. But I rarely give happy endings like this so I was savoring it. I'm so, SO excited to have our Victor and I hope you are all as hype as I am for the epilogues and seeing our two co-Victors in action! I had two Victors from the time I made the string till now, that was never gonna change. But I tried to convince you that maybe it did, haha.**_

 _ **First, I'll do our last eulogy for this story:**_

 _ **3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **Place- Nerio Thames, District 4, Killed by Riggs Fidler, D6**_

 _ **What can I say? Nerio was totally fun to write and he definitely deserved to get this far. He did what he had to, and unfortunately it was too much and he got teamed up against. But, this character was such an amazing one to write and I am so glad I got to take him through some shit in the Arena. I loved him, and his family had some of the best interviews, they're going to be fun to follow through. He was a great character that tried to play the game justly, but he took too many lives for the others to allow him to get out alive. He got to see the high of being out and proud at the party, feel the joy of young love, and ultimately the grief of a first love being taken from him. He went through so much and just tried to keep going, and that was so much fun to write. Even though my readers lost empathy for him when he took Syca, I never did, and wanted to write him out to the end while trying to show the side of him that was just trying to be just, even if he was a Career. I have mad respect for this dude, he just did his best and ultimately, it was his downfall. But he was such a fun character to explore and to push to his limit. I hope you enjoyed his portrayal in the story and thank you so much for your amazing tribute Art! Hope you stick around to see his family in the epilogues and maybe submit to the sequel!**_

 _ **And, finally...**_

 _ **1**_ _ **st**_ _ **Place- Riggs Fidler, District 6, and June Fisher, District 9**_

 _ **Yes, we get our happy ending. I bet you guys are surprised, haha. The truth was I just couldn't choose one of these two. They were both equally amazing, had equally amazing arcs, and will make equally amazing Victors.**_

 _ **Dreamer, I told myself from the beginning that Riggs would either be an early death or the Victor. I just didn't have the heart to kill him off after the bloodbath, and once he started on his arc I knew he was the choice. He is just so amazing and I loved every single POV I wrote with him. I could not bring myself to kill him and am so excited to write him in the future, returning home and happily being with Gian. He had his struggles, plenty of them, but he fought so hard and he had one hell of an arc that lead him to Victory. I thank you so much for him and for your friendship over these past 5 (wow, five!) years. Congratulations on your second Victor! You deserve it! So excited to see your submission for Whims of Fate!**_

 _ **David, I started this story set on getting you your first Victor. The petty side was happy that Holi died because I wanted to be first because I'm petty and by then I knew June was going to win. Before I had gotten all my tributes, I imagined Jasper as Victor, and he was set in the spot for a while, but as once June started appearing in roleplay Cards Against Humanity I started to like her better, too. I've been cackling to myself over your anxiety. If only you knew she was my choice when we were still on the boat. She went through some amazing development, one hell of an arc, and she is leaving the Games broken, but also a better person. I knew that leaving the string intact would be the perfect end to her Games arc, and would begin her post-Games arc as a Victor. Vale gets two in a row! June was just an epic character, and I literally could not stand the thought of killing her in the Games. I hope you are proud of her and excited to see her live her life as District Nine's third living Victor. Congrats on your very first Victor my friend! Can't wait to see your subs for Whims of Fate!**_

 _ **I'm still so shook this has finally been written. And MORE shook that I've surpassed 700 reviews on this story! Thank you all so much for your reviews and support! Thank you thank you thank you! I hope to see all of you submit to Whims of Fate, the 127**_ _ **th**_ _ **Games!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Are you happy with the Victors? Were you expecting them to win together?**_

 _ **This story still has a bit left, though, as we have 5 epilogues. One for Riggs and June immediately after winning, one for them both a bit after victory, two for tributes' families, and one final epilogue. So I will see you all there!**_


	49. Epilogue I

-Riggs Fidler, 18, Victor of the 125th Hunger Games-

Riggs felt horribly groggy when he came to, eyes still closed. When he came to, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to open them. What if it was all a dream and he woke up in the Arena, having to go through the actual finale? A finale where there could only be one winner? It seemed like everything that had happened to him, while annoyingly spicy, was ultimately too good to be true. Maybe all of this was just in his delusive imagination. Maybe someone had killed him already and he was dead.

 _One, two, three._

Riggs opened his eyes, and saw nothing but darkness. His hands closed around the blanket that was covering him, which wasn't as comfortable as the sheets that he had in his bed, but was still far softer than anything he had in the darkness. There were no stars, no moon, only pitch black, save for the light of a flashlight across the room. The faint smell of coffee wafted to Riggs's nose, and he felt a smile spread across his face. Somehow... It was real. It was really real.

And Gian was just the same as he had been before the Arena. Staying up in the wee hours doing homework and drinking coffee. Same old, same old. But this time, there was no fear of Riggs dying thrown in.

"You should go to bed," Riggs said, causing the boy at the desk to gap in surprise and jump up.

"You're awake," he said, hurrying over by Riggs's bedside.

"Yeah, so are you," Riggs said quietly, still a little slow from being under anesthesia. "What about it?"

Gian turned on a lamp near Riggs's bedside and smiled at seeing the new Victor's face. "I wasn't under for three hours."

"I had to let the doctors do their work," Riggs said.

"I know," Gian said quietly, slowly reaching out his hand and running it gently across Riggs's jawline. "They healed you all up." He smiled down at Riggs, and the new Victor felt a grin spreading across his face at the sight of Gian looking so gentle. "How are you doing?"

"Much better now that you're here," Riggs said, and Gian rolled his eyes, but laughed.

"That's not what I meant."

"That's exactly what _I_ meant," Riggs said, grinning wider.

"You obviously feel better if you're making quips," Gian said with a small laugh.

"I would talk about how you great you are with my dying breath," Riggs said. They fell into silence as Riggs was reminded of the people he watched die right in front of his eyes. Syca. Joule. Bec. Nerio. He would have to watch more death, he would have to watch them all die, including his District partner, and Acacia, who he had fun with at the party, he'd have to watch them all die at his interview...

Riggs's heart pounded. He was so happy that he and June could get out together that he forgot the price that twenty-two others had to pay for both of them. Riggs may have been alive, but there were others who were better than him that weren't alive anymore. Two of his allies had died under his watch, two people that had things back home to fix, lives to live... He had lost them. And all he could do for Joule was _run away_. And all he could do for Syca was sing a song poorly, with a quavering, quiet voice that wasn't anywhere close to Wolf, whose arms Syca would have far rather died in... Riggs balled his fists, angry at himself for letting this happened. For failing them, for not being good enough.

Gian leaned over and softly kissed his forehead. While the thoughts didn't go away, at least Riggs had something happier to focus on.

"I'm so glad you're here," Gian said quietly, reaching out and gently grabbing his hand. Riggs gave his hand a weak squeeze and tried a smile, which caused Gian's face to fall, and made Riggs feel even worse.

Riggs knew Gian didn't want him to feel worthless, of course he had worth to Gian, that was why his mentor tried so hard to save him... But he couldn't just shake the feeling... He didn't know how to escape it. If his optimism shriveled... He wouldn't be enough when Gian needed him, and the thought of that made him feel even more worthless. If he couldn't even help Gian, why was winning worth it? He won for Gian and now he couldn't even take care of him. He was too scarred.

"No..." he said, but Gian shook his head at him.

"I'm glad," Gian said. "Please trust me."

Riggs sighed quietly, and looked at him with concerned eyes. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly. "I trust you, I just..."

"It's okay," Gian said quietly. "I understand. Don't worry about it."

Riggs couldn't help feeling angry at himself for feeling this way, but he dropped it and let it go, hoping to not "You should go to sleep. You stayed up just to wait for me?"

"It's one in the afternoon," Gian said, laughing a little.

"Wha..." Riggs rubbed his eyes. "I slept that long?"

"Yeah," Gian shrugged. "It's normal. Your victory interview isn't until four so I was going to let you go until the last minute."

Riggs blinked, reaching over and flicking on the light in his room. It wasn't the shocking, totally white room he expected it to be. Instead he was in a calm-looking room with pale yellow walls, a wooden floor, a desk and a comfortable-looking armchair beside a dresser with a TV on top.

"Retiring me to a nursing home already?" Riggs teased, and Gian laughed, though both could tell that Riggs's heart wasn't fully into the joke.

"You weren't in critical condition, so they wanted to move you somewhere more comfortable," Gian said. "And I got put in charge of watching after you." He winked, and even though Riggs's heart was heavy, he managed a weak laugh, for Gian's sake.

Riggs rubbed sand out of his eyes. "Mm, I feel so gross," he said, noticing the foul taste of morning breath in his mouth and his disheveled hair.

"Go ahead to the bathroom and brush your teeth," Gian said. "I'm not kissing anywhere near your mouth until you do."

Riggs laughed, as much as he could with everything that was going on in his mind. "Alright, alright. I don't blame you."

Riggs got out of bed slowly to avoid irritating the fast-healing stitches on his stomach. He could feel eyes on him, and he turned around and saw Gian watching him, smiling. Though his heart was heavy, just seeing him seemed to lighten it. Just a little.

Riggs went into the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth, comb his hair, and wash his face, until he felt a bit more like himself.

It was such a weird feeling, looking into the mirror. He didn't think that he would look different after the Games, but he was amazed by how much older he looked. He skin was pale, his eyes were sunken in. He had more facial hair that hadn't been shaved yet. He looked exactly like he felt, exhausted and guilty. This was the face Syca had to look at as he was breathing his last. This was the face of the man Joule threw away his chance for. This was the face of the man that 22 had died for. Riggs wasn't sure how to feel about it. His perception of himself had completely changed. He was no longer the charming, outgoing daredevil. Just the thought of risking his life again after everything he'd been through... He almost felt like it wouldn't be fair to them.

Fair to them... God, how could he be fair to them? How could he try to honor them? How could one person live for twenty-two others? He just couldn't imagine...

Riggs splashed his face one more time and yawned before drying it off with a towel and heading back to the room with Gian.

Riggs was met with a shock when he saw another person sitting in the armchair.

"J-June. What are you doing here?"

"You got the room with bird paintings on the wall. My room just had stupid flowers."

Riggs blinked. "So you invaded my room?"

June shrugged. "I knocked first."

Gian nodded. "Yeah, she did knock first."

"I just wanted to know if everything worked out between those two old geezers," June said.

"Who, Gian and Prentice?"

"Duh. What other old geezers have completely unreasonable beef?"

"I can name a couple," Gian muttered.

"Why couldn't you have just asked Prentice?"

"Prentice isn't allowed to see me look like a sickly old lady," June said. "Before I went out I told the doctors that the only one allowed in was my mentor."

"Also I just wanted to cockblock you."

Riggs groaned, and Gian tittered with laughter.

"Well you've succeeded at that," Riggs said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "So I'm allowed to see you like a sickly old lady but Prentice isn't?"

"You look like a sickly old man, so we're even." June smirked and Riggs gave another small laugh.

She seemed so cool and composed, even with everything that happened. How could she be that relaxed knowing that she was alive and so many others had died? She seemed to be coping so well, much better than he was... Was he just overreacting? Was he ever going to let this go? Was he going to be so haunted he had to choose between morphling and constant trauma? God, he hoped it got better than this. Surely it couldn't get any worse, right?

"Riggs?"

The sound of Gian's voice made him look up.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I guess I'm not a very good Victor. I just... Can't stop thinking about it like you can."

June laughed, and Riggs looked up, crossing his arms defensively. "You kidding? I haven't stopped thinking about it all since I woke up from the drugs."

"You seem cool about it though," Riggs muttered.

"My snark has always been my façade," June said. "This isn't anything new to me."

Riggs stared at his hands again, as if that would give him some kind of answers. "I don't have the energy to cope right now," he said quietly. "I lost two allies and took two lives. One of which didn't even deserve to die."

"I took two lives too. I watched two of my allies die. And one of them was..." her voice trailed off and June stared at her shoes. "Sorry. I'm not really good at this whole _let's_ _talk about our feelings thing_."

"That's okay," Riggs said quietly. "I've never really been great at it either."

"You get used to it," Gian said. "When you're constantly traumatized you learn how to healthily talk about your feelings."

"Wow, okay _Grandpa_ ," June said. Riggs laughed a little bit. "Any more advice for us whippersnappers?"

"I'm not even that much older than you," Gian said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you have any advice though?" Riggs asked softly, a serious question. The truth was that he was terrified for this interview.

"Keep on your brave face, both of you. Prentice and I will be sitting with the other Victors on the left in the middle, so if you lose it try to find us and we'll help you."

"I don't need anyone, especially not Prentice, to help me be brave," June said. "Unrelated, but... Where will Vale be?"

"Probably next to Prentice," Gian said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, stop smiling," June snapped. "Sorry. I just... Don't like needing this much help."

"You get used to it," Gian sighs.

"Does it get better?" Riggs asked quietly, fearing the answer. June perked up at the question but tried to play it off.

"Yeah, it gets better," Gian said quietly. "You have good days and bad days. Right now it'll be more bad days. But as time passes you'll get more good days, until you have more good than bad."

"Does that make the bad days worse?" June asked.

Gian paused.

"Tell the truth," June said sternly.

"Yeah," Gian said quietly. "But the experience is different for everyone. We all cope differently. Some cope with grudges, some cope with addiction."

"Some cope by obsessing over school," Riggs said quietly.

Gian closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Yes. Some do."

"Some cope by going batshit crazy," June said.

Riggs and Gian both cracked small smiles.

"They do," Gian said. There was a bit of awkward silence between them all. June was the next to speak.

"You're gonna see some shit," she said softly. "On my end." She didn't even look at him. Riggs thought he would never see her look so sad.

"You're gonna see some shit on mine too," Riggs said, his heart sinking back down in his chest.

There was a long, awkward pause in the conversation before they heard the noise of a stomach growling.

"Can we get some lunch up in this bitch?" June asked. "A girl's gotta eat after being in the Arena for almost two weeks."

Riggs's stomach, which had previously been quiet, started growling at the mention of lunch. God, he was starving and he didn't even notice. "Lunch, yes, lunch! Please!"

Gian nodded and pressed a button on the wall beside Riggs. An Avox came in and the three of them ordered what they wanted.

The next few hours flew by in a whirlwind. Vale joined the three of them for lunch, and after some convincing from Riggs, Jovia also ate with them. They talked about the interview and the crowning that was yet to come. They avoided talking about the Games and in the Arena, but with each minute that went by Riggs got more and more nervous. June and Vale left soon after lunch, but Jovia took a while to realize that the boys wanted to be alone. Riggs barely got enough time to kiss Gian before his prep team barged in, proclaiming it was time to get ready. They threw Riggs in his outfit and dolled him up. They shaved his face, trimmed his nails, and scrubbed the dirt off of his body. Taking a shower was the most amazing feeling Riggs had felt in a long time, after close to two weeks not being able to.

When they decided he was ready, they let him look into the mirror. This time he looked totally different. He looked young again, and awake. He looked healthy and energized. He looked like the person he was before the Games. He knew that he would have to act like it, too.

He barely had time to remember how to smile before they were leading him backstage, where June was waiting. Riggs was dressed in a classic black suit and a glimmering red tie. June was wearing a black gown with a sweetheart neckline and a big ruffled skirt, with a red bow died at the waist between the bodice and the skirt. The make-up on her face made her skin glow and look smooth, and her eyes were framed in bold black with gemstones at the corners, that sparkled like her glossy red lips. Her hair was put up in an updo that looked like a perfect resting place for the crown.

June was given a blue and gold rose to wear on her wrist, while Riggs had an orange, red and black rose pinned to his suit collar.

"How are you feeling?" Riggs asked, biting his lip nervously as he heard the crowd bustling just outside. "Ready to face the nation after everything that happened?"

"I'm ready for anything," June said, glancing at the crowd, but her eyes betrayed her nerves.

"Are you ever going to answer that question honestly?"

June swallowed hard and shook her head.

"Didn't think so," Riggs said to himself.

"Ladies and gentleman, I now present to you, June Fisher and Riggs Fidler, the Victors of the 125th annual Hunger Games!"

"We're up," June said, taking a deep breath. "It's time to face the world."

Riggs stuck out his hand to her. "We'll face it together."

June gave him a small, but genuine smile, and took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "Together it is."

Still holding hands, the two of them walked out on the stage, where the crowds cheered and yelled.

As soon as the two newest Victors came into sight, the crowd of people who were once sitting rose up. It was the loudest applause Riggs was sure he would ever hear in his life. He and June both stopped and gazed out at them in shock.

Riggs glanced at June. The girl was looking out at the crowd with wide eyes as her lips formed a smile. Riggs found that soon he was smiling too. Riggs saw little kids sitting up on their parents' shoulders, people with signs that had their names on them, and dear goodness the shouting. It was out of this _world_.

This was all for them... But they didn't deserve this applause. Not for what they did... Not for the lives they lost...

Quickly, Riggs found Gian and the other mentors on the left, just where they said they'd be. Gian was holding a sign that said in big letters, RIGGS'S #1 FAN. That made the smile come right back on Riggs's face. This was the chance Joule died for, the opportunity Syca wanted Riggs to have. With misty eyes, Riggs blew a kiss straight at Gian. On its way many tried to catch it, but they all knew exactly who it was for. The crowd cheered even louder.

Riggs and June proceeded towards Piccolo, who was still standing and applauding with a smile on her face that didn't match her eyes. Once they were at the center of the stage, still holding hands, Piccolo moved out of the way, and Riggs saw President Blossius emerging from the side of the stage. From the other side came Lux Hastings, also holding a crown.

Riggs stood as tall as he could and held his head up high as Blossius smiled at him. "Congratulations Rigley and Juniper. A Victory well-deserved." Riggs almost shuddered at the use of his real name, but stood proud.

"Congratulations to you both," Lux said, his lips quirking into a smile.

"Is that a cat hair on your suit?" June asked, causing the Head Gamemaker's ears to flush.

"Shut up, I'm crowning you."

June just smirked and provided a shrug.

Riggs's heart started beating faster as the President placed the crown onto his head, and Lux lowered the crown onto June's.

"I'm expecting great things out of you two," President Blossius said, and Riggs gave him a quick and respectful nod.

Riggs grinned at the crowd, glancing over at June to see how she was enjoying it. She was looking at the crowd, but it looked like Lux was saying something out of the corner of his mouth. Riggs was curious, but more worried about other things.

The second time Riggs looked over at June she looked back, and their smiles grew together. Without having to communicate it out loud, the two Victors thrust their joined hands up into the sky, as high as they could go. (Well, as high as June's could go, Riggs's arm was longer than hers so he still had to bend a bit.) The crowd's cheers got louder at that and Riggs could feel June squeezing his hand tightly. Together. They had won together and they were going to get through it together.

Riggs wondered if this was her way of being vulnerable with him. He didn't have much time to figure it out, because soon the applause died down, Lux and President Blossius left, and the Victors were seated with Piccolo for their interview. Thankfully when they sat down, they let go of each other's hand, it was getting really sweaty there.

"So, tell me how you're both feeling!" Piccolo said.

"I feel... Amazing," June said, putting on her most dazzling smile. "A little fatigued still from being in an Arena from two weeks, but so glad to be out of it."

Piccolo grinned and held the mic to Riggs.

"Well, um, I'm still a little surprised. This feels far too good to be true still. I mean... I thought I was dead when that arrow was flying at me."

The crowd laughed and cheered, and June gave a playful smile and a shrug.

"But seriously... I get to come out of the Arena and I'm immediately met with the most gorgeous man I've ever seen, right there. I had to make sure I wasn't actually in heaven after all." Riggs gave his best smirk and winked. Riggs saw Gian's reaction broadcasted on the big screen, rolling his eyes and pouting, which made Riggs smile bigger. Adorable.

"Well, you both look spectacular, let me say. Don't they look fantastic?" The crowd cheered some more, and Riggs suddenly realized that he was about to watch all the horrors unfold in front of him a second time. He immediately found Gian in the crowd, and reminded himself to just keep smiling. He needed to stay with it.

"I think we can't wait any longer. Let's watch the recap for this, the 125th Annual Hunger Games!"

Riggs braced himself. He glanced at June to see how she was taking it. She wasn't smiling anymore, her face set in a stony expression as the Capitol seal appeared, surrounded by a fire of orange, red, and black.

Riggs watched the cruise ship, all of the tributes standing on their platforms, looking tense. The feelings of that day came rushing back to him. Not even being sure if he was going to survive, trying to figure out what he was going to do with himself.

Without thinking about it, he closed his hand around June's again, who gave a squeeze as the gong rang. Riggs wanted to close his eyes, but knew he had to be strong. He had to keep a straight face and watch children die. First, the camera showed June, running towards the horn with Jasper to get the small orange square that looked inconspicuous at the time. She knew what she was getting though. The camera showed a closeup of Jasper's face, and Riggs felt his hand being squeezed tighter and tighter, though June's face didn't change a bit.

The first to go was someone he had sang karaoke with. He watched as Chance, grinning, released the knife and hit Acacia, who spluttered and collapsed. He watched Syca and Persei fight for the axe, and Syca look her in the face and say "No." Riggs's heart filled with pride, which was quickly replaced by heartbreak. _Keep on the brave face,_ he reminded himself. The worst was yet to come.

He watched as Desiree, the girl from his District, was struck down by an axe in her back. Riggs had forgotten about his District partner in the chaos, but seeing her face again, watching her collapse, made him want to run away, squeeze his eyes shut, cover his ears, do anything but sit with a straight face and _watch_. Persei ran, and the camera switched to Miya, who lost her battle with Nerio. Dania looked angry, but after she had killed a fifteen-year-old from his District, Riggs couldn't feel bad for her. He squeezed June's hand, wanting to scream at her for doing that! He was almost satisfied that Miya was taken from her. Almost.

Riggs had to sit there and watch himself run into the Cornucopia with the sole purpose of being injured. Injured so that Gian would pay attention to him. Injured just to be petty and dumb. Riggs hated himself for that. He wanted to scream at himself, but he couldn't. He kept silent and glanced briefly at June. She looked surprised as Ester cut Riggs.

He should have died, if it weren't someone who had never killed and hesitated, he certainly would have. How did he even end up here?

He watched Luna take down Dyna, stabbing them in the back with Bec nowhere to be found. He watched Attila strike down Daria, who collapsed and gurgled as her own blood filled her mouth. He watched his ally, Syca, poor Syca, turn and run to avoid the same fate. Riggs would never forget the sight, the look on his face. June was squeezing his hand again, and only squeezed harder as they had to watch Semper be struck down. God, he was _fifteen!_ When he glanced over at her, she looked back at him, and he could see the fire of anger in her eyes.

"I'm not sorry," she mouthed, before turning back to the screen.

He watched Bec step out of the Cornucopia and convince the Careers not to kill him. It was amazing, really. Riggs thought about his flower and took a deep breath. The worst was yet to come.

He watched Persei crying as Chance and Nerio hunted her down. Riggs's heart flared with anger. How could he forgive someone who was responsible for this? The same way he would forgive himself, probably. Someday.

He watched himself break down the same day. Watching himself in pain, he could feel the sting, right where Ester had stabbed and Joule had stitched. God. He hated seeing himself look like this. He was pathetic as he sobbed and smashed the glass rose into a million pieces. As he watched himself, those feelings came back. Feelings of guilt and shame, but now for different reasons than then.

He looked over at June who was icy faced, but when she glanced back at him he couldn't look her straight in the face. He was too ashamed of his own shame and vulnerability.

He watched he and Joule make the pact, and took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to watch this broken man die a second time.

Before that, though, Riggs has to watch his ally fight Ashlyn from Twelve. Riggs squeezes June's hand as the two dueled. He knew how it would end, but it didn't make it any easier to watch. Every time Ashlyn struck, Riggs could feel pain in the spot Syca was hit. Finally he won the battle, watching her tumble into the pool, turning the crystal water red.

Riggs couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to do that... God.

Then, it showed Joule healing Riggs, and quickly cut to them seeing Chance and Nerio. Riggs squeezed June's hand as the memories came flying back to him, memories of that day. He watched again as Joule died in Riggs's place, yelling for him to run as Chance was torturing him, fighting against his grip. He watched himself, pale with fear, running away. He watched as Nerio ended Joule's life, quicker than Chance would have.

He had been numb to Joule's death, but he realized just how meaningful it was. Joule gave up his chance to make things right with Rilah so that Riggs could be here today. Without him Riggs would have died to Cherio much earlier. Without him Riggs would have given up his chance. Without Joule, Riggs never would have been able to save himself.

Tears started to drip down Riggs's cheeks. "Thank you," he mouthed the words so nobody could hear them. "I love you buddy." June gave his hand a light squeeze.

He watched that night, as Ollie told Jacques those three words that meant everything. The moment was so tender and sweet, but Riggs knew what was going to happen to them. The tears continued to silently roll down his cheeks. He didn't fight to stop them. He watched Jacques give his only weapon to Ollie as the Careers charged, and was quickly struck down by Attila. He watched as Bec threw a knife at Luna's back and sealed his revenge for his ally.

Riggs watched with horror as June and her alliance escaped, and Jasper was struck from behind by Attila. He couldn't imagine what June must have felt... They grew up together... They were just getting back together in the Games... Everything was so right for them...

June was squeezing Riggs's hand so hard he was afraid he would lose circulation, as Jasper called out, throwing June his backpack as he collapsed in the puddle of his own blood that was forming below him.

He glanced over at June, who was watching with a rock-solid straight face, her lower lip starting to quiver as tears silently escaped her eyes. She squeezed Riggs's hand as hard as she could, and Riggs squeezed back. He couldn't even imagine...

He watched as Dania left the Careers, and Bec negotiated that he'd help find them with Ester and Attila.

He watched June, Ollie, and Kaelys the next day. He watched as June broke down, yelling and crying and screaming. He watched her allies try to comfort her, and he watched her push them all away.

"I'm... I'm a _cheater!"_ The crowd was silent. Riggs could feel his eyes widen. She... She... She couldn't... She didn't... June was a good person... Riggs watched as June told the entire nation their story. About cheating on Jasper while drunk, trying to put on this show for the crowds... All of it hurting him, him having to pretend to be happy with this person who broke his trust...

Riggs didn't know how to feel. He looked at June, who was looking away from him, staring at her feet, her face covered by her hair. She looked up briefly, towards the left, before looking back down.

He watched the announcement that the boat was going to sink. He watched as June abandoned her allies to break a window on the bottom floor and quickly escape. He watched as Ollie received a boat and fought Kaelys for it, knocking her out with a lamp and making his escape. He watched Bec run the opposite direction from Attila and Ester, who were focused on getting to the top deck and snatched a boat first. He watched Chance and Nerio get to the top and snag their boat, as well. He watched as Wicke and Dania arrived, and fought Bec for the last boat. He watched Bec throw Dania overboard, and her body get torn apart by the terrifying shark creatures with razors on their skin known as isonades. He watched himself run to the top and realize there were no boats left. His heart sank to his stomach remembering that feeling. He was hopeless. Doomed.

He watched as Syca struggled the whole way up the staircase and the boat sank faster and faster. He watched the two of them meet up, and felt the same elation he felt when Syca showed off the boat to him, followed by a sense of dread. Every event was one closer to what he dreaded.

He watched the two of them sail away together.

He watched that night, with the stars displaying the fallen tributes' colors. He watched himself reading the note from Gian, and his eyes became misty again at the thought of how impactful that moment was. That was when he knew for sure he was getting home.

He also got to see Syca read the other half of the note that was written by Anakyn. Probably sometime when Riggs had dozed.

"Syca," he read.

"Gian, Wolf, and I teamed up to get this boat for you. You don't wanna know how I raised so much cash, honestly you don't. Far too impure for a person like you. Please share with Riggs, and please keep fighting to come home. Kendal and I are rooting for you, and even HELEN is. We've got your back. Keep at it. Your friend, Ani."

Riggs squeezed his eyes shut. God, this was hard. Too hard.

He watched as June arrived on the island first, quickly following the path and upon arrival at the temple, scaled a tree to survey her surroundings: and wait.

Riggs watched as Attila and Ester arrived next, both of them unaware of what was going to happen. Riggs watched June shoot Ester. When the arrow made impact, June squeezed Riggs's hand again. It wasn't so easy for her to relive either. They watched silently as Ester died in Attila's arms. The boy descended from there, crying and pleading, trying to solve a problem he could never solve. He had to give up. He had to leave her.

At the same time, Chance and Nerio were taunting Wicke. Riggs watched as the girl from One threw her knife straight into their lifeboat, causing it to start sinking as she paddled away. Riggs almost smiled at that. Almost. They were all three dead. It was hard to smile at that.

He watched Chance get taken by the isonades, and Nerio try to help him as much as he could. He watched Nerio carry them both back to shore, though Chance was bleeding profusely. _No wonder we only ever saw Nerio alone on the island,_ Riggs thought. He watched as they entered the temple together, as Ollie turned around, eyes wide.

Riggs watched Ollie quickly try to plead for his life, trying to get them to spare him. They barely gave him an opportunity to beg for mercy before Nerio killed him quickly. When Ollie's dead body hit the ground, June squeezed Riggs's hand. He heard Piccolo squeak beside her, quietly enough that the crowd couldn't hear. Up close, they could see Piccolo's eyes were misty, but it didn't show on the cameras.

"That was my ally," June said, her teeth clenched in anger.

"We got him," Riggs said quietly. June didn't relax as Piccolo appeared on the screen for Final Eight interviews.

When Riggs saw his parents, his heart soared. He was home. Finally, they had a reason to be proud of him.. Surely they did...

Riggs watched his parents not change from the complacent, uncaring people they were. They watched them talk about him like he was a ghost. He could feel anger bubbling in his stomach, unquenchable anger. They would never change.

He immediately softened when he saw his brothers. He knew they would be proud of him. He listened to their banter, watched them comfort each other. Riggs smiled through their words of encouragement for him. Riggs longed to see them in person. _I'm coming home to you._

He watched Neeka and Torrin talk about him to Piccolo and could see the longing for their friend in their faces. Right in front of him were the reasons he won, and he couldn't hug them yet, but when he got back he was never going to let them go.

He glanced over at June and with tear-stained cheeks they smiled at each other.

"The reasons I won, those guys and Gian," he told her.

Riggs really couldn't wait to get back home.

~.~.

-June Fisher, 18, Victor of the 125th Hunger Games-

June hated how her cheeks were tear-stained. She thought she would be able to watch it without breaking, even if it hurt. She thought she would be unmovable. She was wrong. June didn't like being vulnerable, but at this point she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Seeing it all again, so soon after it happened... It reminded her exactly why she never deserved to be here.

Riggs struggled to watch his parents, and June could understand why. It seemed they didn't even care... June felt she was getting to know Riggs far better than she ever thought she would.

She watched her parents' interview. How her mom never changed. Hearing those things she said, her refusal to see how June had changed... June's heart flared with anger. She would make sure to take care of her father, but dammit, her mother was going to regret saying those things.

She watched Connie tear apart the rumors about herself and Prentice, and felt thankful for her best friend. Maybe she didn't have siblings and a million friends like Riggs, but... Connie was worth winning for.

She didn't expect to feel emotional seeing her best friend's face, but she couldn't help it. Connie was the person that she knew would be her greatest support back home (besides Vale, of course). She felt her eyes getting misty. She was coming home.

After the interviews, June could feel Riggs tense. June had a feeling something terrible was about to happen.

She watched Nerio go out hunting, Riggs and Syca walking and searching for lunch. Riggs squeezed her hand, hard, just about as hard as June squeezed his before when she saw Jasper. They were just talking about the string. Things seemed to be going so right... But June, and the rest of the audience, could see Nerio sneaking up behind them. It was horrifying to watch them be happy together with Nerio right there. He struck Syca, and June's heart skipped a beat. She knew it was coming, but he was so young. So innocent.

She glanced over at Riggs to see how he was handling it. The boy from Six was still squeezing her hand, staring at the ground. June could feel him shaking as Syca collapsed. She watched Riggs try to save him, panicking, begging him to stay there. He was in denial, and it was painful for June to watch, knowing what was going to happen to him. She watched him give up the battle to save him, and instead just make him comfortable.

Riggs let out a sob disguised as a cough, looking up at the left for Gian. June had no idea what to do for him, but she knew how he felt. She wasn't really the comforting type. She let go of his hand briefly and put her hand on his back, rubbing it gently. That was comforting, right?

She watched as Riggs on the screen sang quietly to Syca. It wasn't a song June knew, but it was touching. She watched as the life left Syca's eyes, and the tears coated Riggs's face and hit his little body. She watched the camera give a top view, of the flowers that bloomed around the fifteen-year-old boy's body. She took Riggs's hand again as Syca's cannon boomed and Riggs had to say goodbye. He picked a flower, and gave one last look to the boy that had become his friend.

Riggs beside June squeezed his eyes shut and wiped his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding June's.

"It should have been him," he whispered. June frowned, she knew that feeling.

God, that was rough. June realized just how much Riggs had suffered in the Arena, even though his romantic interest was outside the dome. She felt bad for thinking he didn't know what it was like to suffer as she had.

June watched as Attila found the temple, thinking he could talk to Ester, and she watched herself shoot him, right in the ass. She watched as he charged at her, as she watched him from the tree. She remembered how hard her heart was pounding as she aimed and shot him right in the head. Though the flowers bloomed, they weren't touching to June. She couldn't say she felt bad for what she had done, after seeing everything that he had done. She was just glad that she was able to avenge sweet Daria and Semper, and her ally Jacques, and especially... Especially Jasper. She had done it.

She watched herself go to the temple and earn the string. Conveniently, they didn't show her asking to see Attila's ghost to ruin it, even though that was the best part.

She watched herself prepare to cut the string. She knew that she wouldn't, but as she watched she was still nervous. She was ready, she lowered her arrow until it touched the string, and then stopped. She knew that she couldn't do it. After seeing Jasper... It wasn't really Jasper, but it reminded her of what he would have wanted. And she knew that he would have wanted her to use it to give someone else a chance, to kill one last person. Because of that, June put her arrow back in her quiver, and took the string. She would have to figure out how to make the finale dramatic, even for the people that knew she had it and didn't cut it.

She watched the next day, Riggs hiding and June coming up with the way to make a showstopping finale. She tied the string to an arrow and started practicing shooting it just right. She didn't want to miss. Riggs and June exchanged a smile at that, and June managed a wink. She was totally hollow inside, but she could still force a smile.

They watched as Wicke found Cherio's camp, and charged. She killed Chance so mercilessly and gruesomely that June was actually proud of her. After the torture he was willing to put everyone else through, he got what was coming. She watched Nerio return to their camp, and kill Wicke before she could run away. Nerio was all sad, but June couldn't find it in her to feel bad for him. She glanced over at Riggs, who was frowning but not very emotional at all. Finally he knew what he caused.

They watched mutts appear, that led Riggs and Bec together. It made sense, Riggs didn't have a kill yet and they were close enough together to have a fight. It was time for Riggs to become exactly what they wanted him to be.

Bec was unsteady and moved sluggishly, probably because he hadn't found water in the mountains and there wasn't any on the ground. Riggs surprised him with attacks that he couldn't defend and wore him down. June watched Riggs pick up one of his flowers from the ground and glanced over, to where he kept a straight face, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He was officially a killer.

June watched the finale, and couldn't help but smile at it. She watched Nerio and Riggs fight, like she had before. At the time she was nervous, worried that if she waited till the last moment she would be too late, and then she would have to win with Nerio. Or fight him. She kept waiting, though, and was glad she did. It was cinematic, really, Riggs thinking he was done for, and the arrow coming from nowhere. They were squeezing each other's hands as the screen showed them bantering. Through their hollowness, the Victors forced laughs along with the crowd at the Victors' most iconic moments. June watched herself shoot the perfect shot, and couldn't resist a chef kiss with the hand that wasn't holding Riggs's at the cinematic glory she had created. It was perfect. She watched herself and Riggs win together, surrounded by the spirits of the tributes that were lost. It really was the perfect end to a roller coaster of a Games.

Both of them were relieved to see the Capitol seal surrounded by blue and gold flames appeared, symbolizing the end of the recap. They'd made it.

Piccolo asked them a few brief questions that June could barely put together answers for before they were presented again, to the loud applause of the crowd, and walked back stage.

The second the cameras were off of them, Riggs started sobbing. He took a seat and buried his face in his hands. June related to that feeling. She sat down across from him and prepared to let the tears go. But they didn't come. As much as she wanted to let it out, something in her refused to let it go. It was that same sense of refusing to be vulnerable. June wanted to sob, and cry out for Jasper, but something within wasn't letting her.

 _God, June, you can't even cry for them!_ she thought angrily, balling her fists. She clenched her teeth. God, what kind of Victor was she if she wasn't even crying for the lives that were lost!? All she could do was silently let the tears go. She just wanted to scream and sob, and grieve them. But she couldn't even do _that_ right.

Riggs and both District Nine Victors were quickly there to meet them. Gian sat next to Riggs and whispered quietly that he did a great job. As soon as June saw Vale, she ran to him. She still couldn't just let the fucking tears out, but it was comforting to see him.

"You did great," Vale said.

June didn't think so, but she just kept her mouth shut.

Piccolo soon joined them. "Good job guys," she said, dabbing her eyes with her sleeve.

"Thanks," Riggs said quietly, sounding much calmer now that Gian was there holding him. June watched Piccolo look at them, biting her lip and looking nervous.

"Th...Thank you. For taking care of him. And avenging him."

Before June or Riggs could ask, Piccolo ran to her dressing room, as fast as she could.

"Come on, let's get you back to your compartment to shower. You and Riggs will return home tomorrow morning. Now we get some good dinner and cover from the press," Vale said.

June was so ready for that. She gave a nod, and so did Riggs.

But at the same time, she knew that she wasn't done yet.

She had a visit to make in the evening.

.

June didn't really feel comfortable visiting the Head Gamemaker in the evening like this, but curiosity had gotten the best of her.

However, she was not going to go without some kind of defense. She snuck some knives from the kitchen and held them in her coat, just in case. You could never be too safe around Capitolites, especially ones that seemed to have no life like Lux.

June found the apartment, it wasn't too far from the complex. She kept her hood up to keep from being recognized. She did get caught by one excited kid, who promised to keep quiet for an autograph. But that wasn't a big deal.

She snuck up the stairs, heart pounding. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should turn around.

She found the apartment and before she could use her better judgement, knocked on the door.

In no time at all, the door opened, and the Head Gamemaker was there. When he saw June there, his face contorted in surprise.

"You actually came!"

"I'm starting to regret it."

"No, don't regret. Please come in!"

"I have weapons and I will use them if you pull any funny business with me," June said, her tone icy cold.

"Funny... What? Gosh, I just wanted to have some tea with one of my Victors."

"With the only girl Victor. In your apartment, alone?" June gave him a look.

"What..." Lux's face suddenly sprang to life. "Oh no, God, that sounds so creepy in context!"

"Yeah, yeah it does," June said, rolling her eyes.

"Why the hell did you _come!?"_

"Because you told me to! I don't know, I don't have a better way to spend it. I thought you might have something to offer me. Apparently your Gamemakers are good at offering information to young Victors."

Lux stared at her for a second, and then started to laugh. He had a laugh that was loud and booming, and he snorted like a fucking weirdo.

"Okay, I'm lost bub. What the hell is so funny?" June crossed her arms.

"God, you're such a spit-fire."

"Always have been, always will be." June said. "Now is there tea, or did you lie to me about that?"

"Actually, it's hot chocolate. But I thought you might like to spill some tea."

June grinned and nodded. "Oh, that's the only good kind of tea."

June took a seat at the small coffee table and saw the steaming cup in front of her. Lux sat across from her, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll have you know that Honore has quietly retired from Gamemaking."

"Damn, that's a bummer. There goes the only girl that Prentice will ever woo."

Lux laughed a bit. "Next year, I'm going to be more intentional about our team staying away from Victors. Refuse giving into all your charm."

Now it was June's turn to laugh. "Prentice has about as much charm as a dead possum. I guess Honore was just really desperate. Even more desperate than you."

Lux rolled his eyes, but laughed. "Honestly, I thought you would be coming here to thank me, not roast me."

June had to laugh at that. She laughed for a while. It was just so funny to her, that she was supposed to thank him after everything that she went though! " _Thank_ you!?"

"You're welcome," Lux said, smirking. June groaned. She had walked right into that.

"Why am I supposed to be thanking you?"

Before Lux answered, he blew into the hot chocolate cup and took a sip. "Ah! Hot!" he said, quickly breathing in and out and fanning his mouth. June laughed a little and rolled her eyes. "Phew. It's hot. Be careful not to burn your mouth."

"Why should I be thanking you?" June asked again, bringing his attention back to the subject at hand.

"You think that your success was just because of fate?"

"No, it was because I made fate my bitch."

"Try again."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" June asked, sipping more hot chocolate. It was so sweet, smooth, and rich, June could have bathed in it.

"You think that you were the first to get to the island by fate? You didn't paddle nearly as much as the boats with two people."

June thought. "I didn't need to paddle, the wind was pushing me ahead."

"Yeah, it was."

June's mind was working now. That was weird. She just didn't notice it at the time.

"You think that you were led to the string by chance?"

"No, Chance was with Nerio the whole time."

Lux paused to groan and roll his eyes. June smiled sweetly. "This is all your fault," she said.

"You think it was just fate that you were lead straight to the string? Do you honestly?"

"No... I heard Jasper's voice. Were you luring me?"

Lux just smirked. "The wind is nature. The wind isn't impartial. And I mean, Jasper just did what he wanted."

June rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure he did. So, you're saying... You tweaked things so they'd be in my favor?"

Lux smiled at her over his hot chocolate, taking another sip. "I didn't say anything of the sort."

June smiled, but it quickly faded. "Wh...Why?"

Lux glanced up. "Hm?"

June couldn't help wondering, and she couldn't help how her voice became quieter. "Why would you choose me? Th...There were so many others that would have been more worthy. The crowds wanted couples, not... Not me. Not the cheating girl. There were so many other tributes more worthy..." June stared at the marshmallows, slowly melting in the warmth of the cocoa. Their strong marshmallow façade, melting away. God, she hated melting like some stupid marshmallows.

"Everyone was worthy," Lux said, sighing and taking another sip. "Before the ship sank there was nothing I could have done to control the Games. I couldn't help what happened."

June stared at the hot chocolate, where the marshmallows had once been, willing herself not to shed a single tear in front of this man. "You made it," she said. "You made the Arena."

"And it was the worst thing I've ever done," Lux said quietly.

"Did you not realize what was going to happen?!" June asked irritably. He was stupid, but how could anyone be that stupid?!

"No! I didn't!" he said with a raised voice. "We in the Capitol are raised to think one way, I'm sorry I couldn't be that revolutionary that saw it for what it was until it was too _late_!"

June paused, sipping her hot chocolate quietly. "Nobody's perfect," she said quietly.

"I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late to stop it. I just want to get out of this nightmare." There was a brief silence between them.

"Why did you pick me?" June asked again. What could anyone possibly see in her, after all that happened?

"What?"

"Why did you help _me?_ I did nothing to deserve it."

Lux smiled a bit. "I wanted to help you because you have a fire in you. I could see it when we played that card game at the party. And even when you were put to the test, it still didn't go away. That's what we need in a Victor."

"Wh..."

"I wanted a Victor that wouldn't lose themself after the Games, and would do some good for all the bad that happened in there."

"B-But... That fire was destructive," June said quietly.

"You proved me right when you didn't cut the string," he said, smiling at her and sipping more hot chocolate.

"I... That was for Jasper..."

Lux had some kind of weird old-man twinkle in his eye when he looked at June next. "Exactly."

June didn't know what to say about that. She could have argued forever that she wasn't the right choice, but he obviously wasn't going to budge. "My emotions were just going crazy. They still are. I'm practically unhinged from old June."

"Yeah, the serum does that to you."

"The... Serum?" June asked. _Now we're getting to the good stuff,_ she thought.

"Q-serum. That's why you guys fell so fast."

"Why we fell so fast?" she asked, getting him back on topic.

"Yeah, it's a steroid that ramps up the chemicals in the brain related to love and sex."

"So... Riggs..."

"It doesn't give you feelings you didn't have before. It just magnifies them."

"That's kind of sick," June said. She knew something was up with her feelings, though. They were going crazy.

"I know. Who do you think was their first guinea pig?"

June looked at him, and could feel herself softening some more. "They... Put it in you?"

Lux gave a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. They said they wanted me to experience what the tributes did. I don't think that was why, though. I think it was because it made me easier for them to control. After all, that's what they wanted for the tributes."

"They... Who's they?" June asked, eyes widening.

"The scientists. The president. Everyone that knew how _they_ wanted the Games to be."

June wasn't sure how to react. Lux was clumsy and a bit of a buffoon, but... Why would anyone do that to him? Why would anyone do that to the tributes? On both of their behalf, June felt angry.

"Is there a reversal?" she asked.

Lux shrugged. "I think they're working on it. Not making progress."

"Do you think that's the truth?"

Lux gave her a small, sad smile. "I knew you were a good choice. No, I don't think it's the truth."

"You're saying that they're going to make you, me, and Riggs live like rabbits in heat for the rest of our _lives?!"_

Lux sighed and stared at his hot chocolate. "I'm just saying that we should be careful who we trust."

They both fell silent and sipped hot chocolate. After a while, June saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched a tiny white kitten enter the room.

"Oh, there she is. This is my new friend. July."

June managed a laugh at that. "July. How _original_."

Lux laughed too. "I thought it fit her well."

July climbed up on June's leg, so she lifted the kitten up to sit on her lap. "I like her. I'm so sorry you have to live with this bumbling, unintentionally creepy-sounding man."

Lux laughed a bit. "I think she likes it here."

"I think she's surprised that other people actually come here that aren't just you."

Lux laughed. "Haha, very funny. But true."

June stroked July for a while, and then got sight of a clock. "Shit, it's going on 9. I should get back to the compartment. I told Vale to call the cops at 9:30."

Lux laughed a little. "Yes, you should get going. No more scandal for either of us."

June handed him July and wasn't sure how to say goodbye. She held out her hand and gave him a hearty handshake.

"Thank you for having me," June said. "This was very, informative."

"Thanks for coming. I hope you do good things. Feel free to come back any time."

"Next time you invite me, don't make it sound creepy."

"I'll try my best."

"Bye kitty," June said, patting her on the head. "Bye bub," June said, holding up a hand to Lux before turning around and leaving.

~.~.

-Helen Bethel, 20, Victor of the 120th Hunger Games-

" _Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, the Victors of the 125_ _th_ _Hunger Games... Riggs Fidler of District Six, and June Fisher of District Nine!"_

 _Gian let out a sob and launched across the room to hug Jovia, who was squealing and clapping in delight._

 _Vale whooped and jumped out of his chair with the energy of a man twenty years younger than him. Gian ran over and hugged Vale too, still crying, as Prentice gave Vale a pat on the back. Helen always stayed till the end to be with the mentors that lost tributes, and celebrate with those who got one home. It was painful, but necessary, and a lot of mentors chose to stay because of it._

" _Congrats!" Helen said, as the other mentors in the room applauded and gave their congratulations. Gian hugged her so tight Helen could barely breathe, just as the Peacekeepers came._

" _Right this way District teams," he said, his voice just as monotone as any Peacekeeper's. Gian, Jovia, Vale, and Prentice hurried after him, Demetrius not far behind. Helen watched them go and felt happy for them, but also crushed._

 _Mentoring was never easy, especially when the tribute was the same age as she herself had been when she won her Games. Watching one after the other collapse never got any easier. Helen was done watching the gore for the day, after watching a tribute she thought had a chance go down so early._

 _Now that the mentors were on their way to meet their Victors, Helen packed up her stuff. She would be spending a night at the Capitol to see the Victory interview, as all mentors were required to attend (another reason most of them stayed in the Capitol through the Games."_

 _As she went towards her bedroom in the hallway, she heard a commotion of footsteps running towards her. She realized that it was Anakyn, and quickly wiped her eyes and hurried over to him._

" _Ani! Are you okay?!"_

" _I'm fine, he said. "But..."_

 _The TV screens lining the hallway suddenly flashed red, and Helen felt her body go cold._ What was going on?!

 _Helen and Anakyn rushed to the mentor room, where all feed of the tributes had been cut-off and twenty-five screens were blinking crimson._

" _Breaking news," the screens blared. "Bonaventure Abatescianni, District Eleven escort, has been arrested and charged with treason."_

 _Helen's chest went cold as she looked over at Anakyn. He had sadness in his eyes, but kept a stone-hard expression._

" _Reports show that the drawing of Daria Junius's name from the reaping bowl was a controlled drawing by Mr. Abatscianni, sentencing a fifteen-year-old Capitolite to death in the Hunger Games. Miss Junius's parents were well-known Peacekeepers that were serving their Capitol patriotically, and Miss Junius was indeed a Games fan and devoutly loyal to the Capitol. Mr. Abatescianni is being sentenced for treason and for Miss Junius's_ unjust _murder." The Capitolite newscaster emphasized the word in a way that made Helen want to scream, but they were being watched and she couldn't afford to make more trouble._

" _President Blossius emphasizes that the Hunger Games is unjust for Miss Junius because and only because she is a Capitolite with law-abiding parents, and that the Hunger Games will continue as they always have."_

" _Mr. Abatescianni faces charges of conspiring against the Capitol, punishable by public execution. Maia Juventas is at the scene. Maia?"_

 _Helen watched the woman reporting at the Capitolite Town Square. She watched the banners on top and on bottom of the screen that read, "THIS IS REQUIRED VIEWING. TURNING OFF THE TELEVISION IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. THIS IS A REQUIRED VIEWING..."_

 _Helen glanced over at Chervil, who was keeping a straight face better than she ever could have. They thought they were home free... They thought he was clear..._

 _They watched as Bonaventure was dragged to the center of the square, wearing a cloth sack over his head that the Peacekeepers ripped off after shackling him to a post. Helen watched as the whip collided with his back, wanting to look away. She didn't want to watch this... Her tribute was dead... Helen wanted to run away, but she needed to keep from causing a scene._

 _The mentors and few escorts that had wandered in the room watched in absolute silence as Bonaventure was whipped over and over again, until he was finally taken out of his misery by a gunshot to the head. The crowd in the Square cheered and clapped. "Kill the traitor! Long live the Capitol!" they cheered. Daria's parents were shown in District Eleven, clapping along with the crowd. Helen felt sick._

" _And now back to our regularly scheduled program!" the reporter's voice said, sounding... Sunny. Helen couldn't take being surrounded by so many people anymore. She had just lost her tribute, and she had lost a friend! The Capitol knew that their group existed. She had no idea how much they knew. Did they know about her? Did they know about Cerena and Ani? Did they know about Wolf?_

 _Wolf. She needed to call him. Helen ran to the nearest bedroom, knowing that Ani had fiddled with the cameras they planted there, and shut the door. She put the television on and turned the volume down. She dove under the covers and the tears started to pour out of her eyes. Another year, failed. And now everything was going downhill._

 _Helen wasn't sure how long she had been crying in there when she heard a knock on the door. Startled, Helen sat up and wiped her eyes. "Who's there?"_

" _It's me!" Anakyn's voice calmed her almost instantly._

" _Come in," she said quietly._

 _Anakyn entered slowly and turned on a lamp._

" _Hey," he said. "How are you doing?"_

 _Helen sniffled and dried her eyes. "I'm so scared Ani," she said quietly, not even trying to hide from him. He was her best friend here, after all, and she trusted him._

" _I'm shaken up too," he admitted. "We had to go to an escort reassignment meeting right after too," he sighed._

" _Reassignment?" Helen looked up. "Well? What happened?"_

 _Ani's lips went up in a smile. "I've been promoted. Next year, I'm escorting for District Three."_

" _Oh, that's amazing!" Helen said, smiling and jumping up out of bed to hug him. "Congratulations!"_

 _Anakyn laughed a little bit. "Oh, um, thanks. It's all according to plan."_

 _Helen's heart pounded, but she just hugged him tighter. "It's still amazing that you were promoted so much. Four whole Districts! Wow. A testament to the amazing escort you are."_

 _Anakyn's full face flushed. "W-Wow, um, thanks... I just try my best..."_

 _Helen smiled. "Well you do great." After a moment of silence, she realized that next year, she wouldn't get to see him all the time like she did this year. "I... I'm going to miss you though."_

" _You are!?"_

" _Of course I am. You're my best friend here. I'm going to miss seeing you all the time, and playing pranks together, and on each other..."_

 _Anakyn smiled at her. "Wait wait wait, hold the phone! Who said I'm going to stop pranking you just because we're representing different Districts?!"_

 _Helen grinned back at him. "You mean it?"_

" _You're so gonna get it next year!" he said. "Just wait till you see what I have planned!"_

" _Well then I'll be ready to get you back," Helen said._

" _Besides, I'll still need a party date next year," Anakyn said, face flushing again. Helen's heart started pounding at hearing that. Could he really feel the same?_

" _M-Me too," Helen said quickly. "I will too."_

 _Anakyn smiled. "Oh. Well, um, I'll be around."_

" _And I'll be back to visit. I guess we'll see each other after all."_

" _Of course we will," Ani said quietly, giving her a soft smile._

" _You've been such a good escort, and a great... Friend," Helen said. "I'll miss you."_

" _I'll miss you too. But, today's my last day being an official District Seven escort. Then preparations for next year will start and..."_

 _Helen's mind was racing._ This is dumb, am I really going to do it?! Oh, fuck it, of course I am.

" _If today's your last name, I should make sure to give you something to remember it by," she said._

 _Anakyn's face looked confused as Helen got up on her tiptoes and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. She pulled back quickly, heart sinking when she noticed his eyes were wide in shock._

" _Oh God... I-I'm so sorry if... Oh God..."_

" _Sorry? D-Don't be." Anakyn grinned down at her. "I've been waiting a while to do that!"_

" _R-Really?!" Helen asked, laughing a little bit._

" _Yeah!" Ani said, sweeping her up in his arms and kissing her again, a kiss she quickly returned. It was the fairytale moment Helen had been waiting for._

 _Ani pulled back, and his smile faded slowly._

" _What's wrong?"_

" _I... Kendal said you hated Capitolites. And... That's... What I am." He looked away. "I'm sorry..."_

" _Ani..." Helen said, her heart overflowing. "I don't like Capitolites because I hate their gluttony, their love for the Games, their selective ignorance to poverty of the Districts. But you... You are so different." She pushed some of his hair behind his ear softly. "You aren't one of them. You are just, and you fight for what's right, and you and I, we're going to help the cause to end the Games, end the poverty, end the oppression. And you're the best teammate I could ever ask for. In that respect, for the Games, and just... In my life." She smiled and softly kissed his cheek. "Let's do this together. What do you say?"_

" _Wh..."_

" _Would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?"_

" _I-It's... The honor is mine! Of course!"_

 _Helen giggled as he picked her up and spun her around. She had been waiting for this for so long... She just couldn't wipe the smile off her face._

" _Together," he said._

" _Together," she said, grinning._

" _This doesn't mean you're safe from the pranks," he said, a playful twinkle in his eye._

 _Helen gave him a devious grin. "You're on." Her playfulness just faded into giddiness. "I wouldn't have it any other way."_

 _~.~._

 _ **A/N: Woah, this turned out super long! Well, I hope you all liked it! The recaps were a lot more detailed than I planned, but I just went with it and ran! Hope you like Riggs and June as Victors and after some District epilogues we'll get to check in with them again!**_

 _ **And some subplot, and a little extra fluff just because!**_

 _ **Also: if you see reviews from anyone called Error, don't fret, those are mods and friends and I asked them to come roast this story. I'm A-Okay and it's all in fun!**_

 _ **Hope you liked the chapter, can't wait to hear what you think!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Which scene was your favorite and why?**_

 _ **See ya next time!**_


	50. Epilogue II

_In memory of Acacia Blasdell, 24_ _th_ _Place_

-Pluto Nicastro, 21, District 2-

Pluto was standing on the train platform, quivering.

"You'll be okay," Cerena said gently. "I'm sure it's blown over. Besides, it's not your fault. None of it is your fault, right?"

Pluto glanced away from her, to the floor, before giving a nod. "I could have stepped in-"

"It would have hurt your mental health and he knows it. And he will respect that."

Pluto swallowed hard and nodded. "He will respect that," they mumbled quietly.

"It's time to go home," Cerena said.

"I don't want to go..." Pluto mumbled, squeezing their hands into fists. "I don't want to go home... I can't..."

"It's time, hun," Cerena said quietly.

"Please don't make me go..." they mumbled.

"It's your choice," Cerena said. "But I really think it's time."

"Please..." Pluto glanced beside Cerena to where Demetrius was standing.

"I think you can do it," Demetrius said, causing Pluto to wring their hands nervously.

"Thanks for riding the train with me," Pluto mumbled quietly, glancing at each of them.

"If anything goes wrong, you give me a call. I'll be right there," Cerena said, giving the Victor a hug goodbye. Pluto gave a small nod before moving to give Demetrius a tight hug goodbye.

"It's time," Demetrius said quietly, resting his forehead to Pluto's and holding their shoulders. "You can do it. You belong here, not in the Capitol."

"I belong here..." Pluto mimicked quietly.

"We'll talk later, okay?"

Pluto gave a small nod, letting go and taking their suitcase. Looking behind their shoulder, they gave one last wave goodbye as Cerena and Demetrius stepped back in the train and Pluto turned to start walking back to the Victor's Village.

The overcast day was appropriate, and they barely spoke when they got in the van driven by Peacekeepers that was going to take them back to their house in the Victor's Village. It was going to be a long day.

Pluto didn't have the energy to unload their suitcase or do anything. This had been a day they'd been dreading. Coming back to the District that was now missing one very important person, all because of them. They could have mentored, but they were too scared, and asked Vesperus to do it instead. Maybe things would have been different if Pluto hadn't been scared. Maybe they would have been better. Maybe Pluto could have seen something Vesperus didn't. That was their best talent after all. Maybe if they had said yes things would have been different. They could have saved her, and maybe then Skor would still love them.

Pluto was eating crackers for dinner when there was knocking on the door. It was time for the confrontation they had been fearing.

Pluto opened the door slowly and saw him standing there. Looking... Tired, Pluto thought. Or maybe he was just sad, or maybe... Pluto couldn't really tell. It didn't really connect.

"I heard you were coming back today."

"Who told you?"

"Vesperus. He actually _came_ to Acacia's funeral."

 _Why was he stressing that word?_ Pluto wondered. _Was he... angry?_

"I couldn't."

"So you've said." Skor crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry."

Skor's eyebrows un-creased. "It's... Fine."

"Are you mad at me?"

"I'm..." Skor took a deep breath. "No, Pluto. I'm not mad at you."

"I should have been able to save her."

"There wasn't anything you could have done, babe."

"Wasn't anything," Pluto echoed, swaying nervously on their feet.

"It's just a little rough right now, but... It'll even out."

"Even out..." Pluto repeated.

"I'm glad you're back though."

"Home," Pluto said. "Where I belong."

"Yes, here is where you belong. With me." Skor held out his arms and Pluto fell into them, hugging him tightly. They had really missed him.

Pluto nodded a bit into his chest. "With you."

When they let go, Skor glanced at the crackers in Pluto's hands. "Is that your dinner?"

Pluto nodded. Skor took another deep breath.

"Skor..." Pluto started, nervously wringing their hands as Skor stepped in and closed the door.

"Yeah?"

"I..."

"Huh?"

"I talked to Cerena a little bit, and..."

Skor took another deep breath and his eyebrows creased again. "Cerena!? Didn't I tell you she was dangerous, Pluto?"

"You did, but she's really nice and she just really understands-"

"She doesn't understand _anything_!" Skor said, talking louder than he usually did.

"She speaks truth!" Pluto said desperately.

"She speaks brainwashing _garbage_!"

"I'm joining her cause!"

Skor fell silent, and stared at Pluto in a way that Pluto had been stared at many times before... But never by him.

"And what good is that going to do?" Skor asked.

"The Games need to be put to an end! I thought you might understand... Cause of Acacia-"

"No, I don't understand! You know what's going to happen when Cerena's crazy plan tries to launch? Way more people are going to die and it's going to be on her hands and the hands of everyone who supports her batshit idea of justice!"

"But the Games... So many people die in the Games..."

"It's a punishment!"

"It's been so many years."

"Didn't I tell you not to spend too much time with her? Where the hell was Vesperus, dammit?"

"I think she's right."

"I can't believe you let her brainwash you. Pluto, you realize that by doing this you're putting everyone you love in danger!?"

"It's worth the risk."

"No! It's not! The president doesn't kill you for your wrongs, he kills everyone you _love!_ "

"Skor-"

"You're risking _my_ life, my _family!_ Acacia already died under your watch, and now you're gonna kill the rest of them!"

"That's not what-"

"You're putting _everything_ on the _line_ , Pluto! You failed Acacia already, now you're going to fail all the rest of us because you're chasing some picture of justice that is nothing but a batshit lie! Do you think my life is really worth that?! Do you think little Taffy's life is worth it?! Do you really think that?!"

"The Games ruined me," Pluto said, voice shaking. "Please don't yell at me." They hated being yelled at, it scared them. They didn't want to be yelled at.

"Yeah, and who was the one to pick you up from the ashes?! Me, you dummy! I'm the one that picked you up, and damn was your constant brooding and yelling and crying heavy, and you're here now because of me! And now you're going to take my sibling, and then sell out my entire family!? Is _this_ what you think is _just_?!" His voice was booming, booming so loud in Pluto's ears. Pluto covered their ears.

"Please don't yell at me. I'm fighting for Acacia. I'm fighting for her memory. And for the person I used to be. Before the Games ruined them."

"Now you're just parroting what Cerena told you! Goddammit Pluto, why the hell are you so stupid!?"

Pluto stared at the person they loved, eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm stupid." They thought Skor thought they were smart, but it was all a lie. Everything was a lie.

"You need to cut off ties with her and her shit son now and keep it that way!"

"Demetrius isn't shit, he's actually nice."

"You need to back out now. Or else you're going to have my blood and the blood of my family on your grody stupid hands. Don't be selfish Pluto! You've hurt our family enough, don't hurt it any-more."

"I'm not backing out. I'm fighting to end the Games. They need to end."

Pluto wasn't ready for the slap across their face that hurt them and caused them to drop to the ground, curling up into a small ball on the ground.

"Then I'm ending this, before me or my family is hurt by your stupidity anymore."

"Skor, please... I'm sorry..."

"You're not worth the risk. I have to do what's best for my family, and for myself. I put everything into you but apparently it wasn't enough to keep you from going batshit crazy."

Pluto heard heavy footsteps and the slamming of the door. As soon as Pluto was sure he was gone, they burst out into tears. They were so afraid of Skor leaving them because they fucked up, and now their worst nightmare had come true. It was all their fault... They were only trying to stand up for what they thought was right... But what if it wasn't right at all?

Pluto's mind became dizzy as they couldn't pick out a thought, and were left on the floor, rocking back and forth, crying out and screaming with no one to save them.

It wasn't until hours later that Pluto could think straight enough to grab their phone and text Wolf, who promised to jump on the first train to District Two.

Well, his exact response was, _I'll be there asap. And I'm going to punch his teeth out. I don't throw threats, I give promises._

~.~.

 _In memory of Desiree Menghiasi, 23_ _rd_ _Place_

-Aimee Santos, 15, District 6-

She never thought she would see so many people in her life. Aimee had only seen a crowd this big at the reaping.

The reaping.

The reaping where Desiree was taken away. The reaping that stole two kids and only returned one.

Aimee flipped the blonde hair out of her eyes and clenched her fists. Recovering from the loss of Desiree wasn't easy, and seeing the Victor in person was just as hard as she thought it would be. He may have cared about her, but he was also alive when she wasn't, when she could have been standing there.

Aimee never thought she would be standing here, on this stage. She never thought she would be going through this. It never got easier, but maybe, just maybe, she could let go today.

Aimee watched as Riggs stepped forward, tapping the mic and jumping back when it screeched in reverb.

"Hello, District Six..." he said, still sounding a bit shy. This whole thing was still surreal to Aimee. Why was she standing up here.

"I just... Thank you all for coming... Really, thank you so much. I... Never thought I would see this many people here. When we started this it was just... Tiny. So, thank you all."

The crowd cheered a little in response. Aimee's heart was pounding. Was this actually happening... Here?!

"I am so overwhelmed by your kindness, and by hearing all of your wonderful stories... Thank you. You make me so proud to be here, home, in District Six. You make me brave to hold the hand of this amazing man to my right. You are really an inspiration to all of us."

The crowd cheered some more as Gian gave a big smile and a wave, looking comfortable in the flag wrapped around his shoulders.

"Without you, this would have never taken off. You all inspire me every day. Thank you." He laughed. "That's all I can think to say. But... As much as you all inspire me, especially Gian... This day is for a community to come together. And I planned it all in honor of a very special girl. Someone who inspired me to be bold, and be brave. Someone who was taken from this world too early, but whose legacy is _never_ going to die." Riggs ducked his head, a stray tear rolling down her face. Aimee hated how her eyes filled with tears, but she couldn't help it. "For Desiree!" Riggs shouted into the microphone, raising the bi pride flag up high and waving it in the air. Aimee felt emotion hit her like a tidal wave. She saw Johan in the crowd, clapping and yelling out.

"And now, we will begin tonight's events by unveiling a beautiful mural painted right here, on the side of my house in the Victor's Village. Before we do that, here's the artist herself, Aimee Santos!" The crowd cheered when Aimee stepped up on the stage. She was usually so confident, but... In front of this crowd... All of them waiting to see _her_ art.

"H-Hello," she said, clearing her throat. "Thank you all for coming. Desiree would be... Blown away, if she were here." She reached up and dabbed at her eyes with her flag. "Thank you for making this happen. As Riggs said, I've made a mural for his house that encompasses the spirit of Desiree. She was devoted to both her District and to our community. She was," Aimee sniffled. "Such a free spirit. That will be dearly missed. In this mural, I wanted to capture her spirit, and her pride. And, on it you will see one of her favorite logos. I've seen her paint it so many times, I could easily replicate that. Long live her memory, and long live her legacy." Aimee swallowed some tears. "For Desiree!" she yelled.

Then, something unexpected happened. Everyone raised their colorful flags up high, and the crowd shouted, "FOR DESIREE!" Aimee's eyes pooled with tears as she raised her rainbow flag above her and waved it in the wind. She would have loved to see this... To celebrate beside her. "It's all for you babe," she said quietly, as the flag flapped in the wind. She could feel it, Desiree's spirit was here... She had inspired this.

"I now declare District Six's first _ever_ Pride... OPEN!" Aimee shouted. She watched as Wolf and Gian pulled back the cloth that had been covering Aimee's mural, and the crowd burst into tears. Riggs ran from his spot beside her on the small makeshift stage and wrapped her up in a tight hug. Aimee released a sob she had been holding in. She couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Thank you so much," he said, through tears. "It's absolutely perfect. I will always hold her memory close."

"You're welcome," Aimee said quietly sniffling, a smile pushing across her face. "I think it's my best work yet."

~.~.

 _In memory of Miya Bellion, 22_ _nd_ _Place_

-Liam Densch, 19, District 10-

The leaves crunched under Liam's feet as he approached slowly.

It had been a long time since he'd come around these parts. Well, maybe not really that long. But so much had happened in that couple few months that it felt like a million years had passed. Liam still wasn't sure he was healed enough to go back, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he should go back.

He was still a little bit angry at the place. Hadn't Miya been training there to have a good shot if she was reaped? Didn't she train there so she _wouldn't_ die third? She had been training there so she could win. And she hadn't. She hadn't even come close. Liam was shocked to see her go.

Maybe it was just how the cards fell. For some reason she scuffled with the trained Career from Four, and she was no match for him.

She put up such a fight, though. Liam had been watching by himself, which was not a good decision. He had to watch his love be taken away from him all by himself. Two Victors had come out that weren't her. She didn't even get to show the world what she was made of. And now Liam was going back to the place where it had all began.

He wasn't sure why he was drawn back. Surely seeing it all, remembering how proud she was to show him... She was proud of what they were doing. But apparently they weren't doing enough.

It was just how the cards fell. Now Liam was all alone, not sure where to turn or where to go other than here. Not that they'd be able to use him there. He was a financial manager, not a trainer. Miya could have flipped him easily, probably multiple different ways. It was one of the things he admired about her.

The wind was crisp and cool and blew more of the leaves off the trees.

It would have been their one year anniversary.

The weather was very much like it was last year on this day. But now, instead of seeing her rosy cheeks, smiling face, and celebrating with her... All he could do was walk alone, hurting at the memories of what could have been.

He stopped only when he saw the abandoned barn. A small, sad smile spread across his face. He remembered being here, being afraid. Thinking that Miya was going to tell him she was a secret drug dealer or something. Yeah, she was too nice for that, too focused on success, but... Still. When you say you're doing illegal magic, it turns heads.

Liam took a deep breath, and went into the barn. He hadn't been very good at keeping in contact with Miya's family, so he wasn't even sure if Oliver wanted him to be there. He just couldn't resist coming back, though. This was her pride and joy. This was her legacy.

Inside the barn, however, looked completely different than it had when Liam went the first time. The barn looked to be insulated, with actual gym matts. Racks and racks of weapons lined the walls, actual dummies stood tall at each station, targets, real targets were set up for archery... It was lit with actual lights, not just the sun. There were benches, actual benches. Liam was stunned.

"Hey, it's lunch time, open gym isn't until-" Oliver's voice cut off suddenly. "Liam!"

Liam wanted to melt at hearing her brother say his name. "Hi Oliver." Miya's brother wore a uniform that looked brand new. He hurried over and shook Liam's hand.

"Good to see you! It's been a while since we heard from you. We... Were worried about you."

"You were?" Liam asked, frowning.

"Of course we were. Marlene said you haven't been at work."

"I... I'm starting back on Monday." Liam sighed. "I tried to go back, to distract myself, but..." he sighed. "I couldn't do it. It wasn't helping."

"Well I'm glad to see you!"

Liam glanced around the room again, still amazed to see it. "Like the new interior? After the Games, Roxanne Tilki came and offered us a lot of money. Ruckrage Farms is bigger and healthier than ever!"

"That's...Wow. Amazing."

"Yeah. I hope we can prepare some of our District's children. Just in case... The worst... happens."

Liam frowned. "Right."

"Ruckrage farms is going to keep building off the foundation she helped leave. I know it's a gruesome legacy. But... She would have wanted this."

Liam frowned and nodded. "Yeah, she was so passionate about this place."

Oliver put a hand on his shoulder. "I have to go now, the kids are just finishing their lunches. We're going to have a masterclass on swords if you'd like to stick around. Then we'll have an open gym. But really, you have to come have dinner with us."

Liam smiled slightly, knowing that he would always have a home with the Bellions. "That sounds wonderful. Thank you."

~.~.

 _In memory of Dyna Hoalburn, 21_ _st_ _Place_

-Owen Zeller, 18, District 5-

Nerves coursed through his body as he looked at the dorm he was going to live in for the next year, at least. He had no idea what he was even doing here... Why did he even bother with this...? Owen was nothing without Dyna, and he was sure everyone in his life knew it.

"Y-You really didn't have to do this," he stuttered, turning towards the man who was standing beside him.

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to."

"I'm nervous too," the young man beside him said, nervously wringing his hands together.

Owen couldn't believe he was standing in front of District Three's largest university, next to Tim Delacroix, and beside the winner of the Delacroix Scholarship. There was no reason he deserved to be here... Owen was a hard worker whose grades had slipped when he came out and faced backlash from his parents. Slipped so low that he was basically out of the running for such a prestigious scholarship from Three, and had to set his hopes lower.

"Everyone is nervous on their first day of school," Tim said gently, placing a hand on Owen's shoulder. "Even if it is just move-in day."

Owen and the scholarship winner, Kris, watched as people walked around the campus, carrying bags of belongings. Owen, with his single backpack of belongings from home, felt embarrassed.

They were approached by a boy just then that made Owen's heart stop beating for a second.

"Welcome to District Three University guys! I'm Thor, I'm an RA- Resident Assistant, something new they're trying this year." Was this actually Thorlief Nazario? God, Owen could barely breathe. He never thought he would be here. "What are you guys studying?"

"Electrical engineering," Kris said, sounding just about as stunned as Owen felt.

"U-Um, biotechnology," Owen said, smiling proudly. He never thought he would be here. He just wish Dyna was here to share it with him... He would have settled going to District Five for just biology, finding a small-time job, if it meant he could have them by his side.

"Great, let me show you two your dorm."

"Okay!" Kris said, beaming.

"Make the most of it," Tim said, smiling at them.

"We will!" Owen said, and Kris nodded quickly, beaming. Tim waved as the boys hurried after Thor to see their dorm.

The buildings were huge, and Thor spoke about each. Owen wondered if he too would know each of the buildings by name. It was all so new, he wasn't sure if he would be able to settle in.

Thor showed them to their dorm giving them a smile and telling them to ask if they had any questions, before disappearing to talk to some of the others who were just moving in.

The rooms were comfortable, with two beds, each already made, two dressers, two desks, and two closets. Owen unloaded his backpack, which wasn't nice. He hung up the three pairs of clothes he had neatly, and put his underwear and socks in the drawers and his one extra pair of shoes on the floor. He took out a blanket that he and Dyna shared in their apartment and draped it out over his bed. Lastly, he took out the small frame with the picture of him and Dyna together in their new apartment. The last picture of them together that would ever be taken.

Owen wiped a tear from his eye as he wiped the dust off the glass.

He was going to make them proud. He was going to make Tim proud. He was going to do something amazing with his life.

He was going to make a difference.

~.~.

 _In memory of Daria Junius, 20_ _th_ _Place_

-Jana Junius, 44, the Capitol-

It was hard to see her there.

It was hard to see her fifteen-year-old daughter lying there in a casket. She looked so calm and peaceful. As if nothing had ever touched her, and she was only sleeping.

If only it could have been that simple.

Cornelius had been so calm. He had treated her like a comrade. Like one of his adult friends that had lost their life serving for the Capitol. Not like his own daughter.

Jana was a professional person. She was very proud of that. She was proud to be disciplined and trained for battle. She loved serving her country.

But Jana Junius also loved her daughter.

And seeing her daughter lying there, dead, only fifteen years old... It was not something a mother could easily overcome. She knew that today was the day she was going to have to say goodbye to the girl that had brought so much life to their family. It was traitorous.

That was why Cornelius had volunteered to shoot the traitor personally. Jana was so glad to watch him die. He was the one that picked Daria's name, that sentenced her to this fate. He deserved to die for what he did, for drawing a fifteen-year-old girl to die in a fight to the death. He deserved it for his acts of treason. The rebels flared and were put out, flared and were put out. It was a cycle that had been going for over a century now. Soon they would find their place.

Per her parents' request, Daria's funeral was held back in her home. Her true home. The place she belonged, not that terrible place that sent her to die.

Cornelius didn't wish to speak on his daughter's behalf to the crowd that was waiting. Thousands from the Capitol had come to the funeral of this girl. She had touched so many hearts. Jana could see it, and she was proud of it.

She stepped up to the microphone, to speak to this crowd, grieving over one of their own. What was she to say to them? She took a deep breath. "Welcome, friends. Family. Strangers who came to pay their respects to the fallen. I thank you all for coming here today." She took a deep, shaking breath. Jana never had a problem holding in her emotions... Until today. "Today we have gathered... To celebrate the life of a beautiful girl, that spread joy and light everywhere she went." Jana took a deep breath. "Daria was the daughter every pair of parents wanted to have. She was kind and resilient. She knew when her parents were working and respected that. She knew what our jobs meant for her and she never complained. We had to move to a District she didn't know, and she did it with a smile." Jana sniffled. "She hated the place, but she went back with a smile. She was always trying to fit in with people that didn't treat her right just because of where she was from."

Jana's mind suddenly went back to all those times she had given people a side-eye at the market because she thought they were thieves. People that were just doing their shopping.

Quickly, she kept talking, trying not to dwell on it. "Daria was joyful even in the worst of times. Even when she was chosen to be sent away from her family... And killed." Jana imagined reaping after reaping, children chosen that were younger than Daria, children that cried like Daria. Children that were like Daria. They were all born in that same place. What made her deserve to die any less than the rest of those children? None of them deserved to die.

"She was sent off into a death match with twenty-three others that... That were children. Just like her. She was friends with them. She was accepted by them. She..." Jana sniffled. "She loved one. She died for another." Jana felt her heart grow heavy. "Just like her, they were children." She saw Cornelius in the wing, and he looked angry. Jana's heart fluttered with fear. She had to change the subject. "Daria was such a joy to have in our lives. And I will always miss her. Thank you for coming to support us on this hard day."

As soon as Jana was done talking, she heard shouts in the crowd.

"They were children!" a man shouted. "All of them children!"

A few more shouts erupted. "How many more children have to die!?" a woman shouted, and the crowd shouted more. Soon, a group of people in the middle of the crowd started shouting things Jana never thought she would hear, let alone agree with. "End the Games!" "125 is _enough!"_

Jana watched in horror as Cornelius tore into the crowd, grabbing one that was shouting and shooting them with a loud crack.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he roared, loud enough for the shocked, silent crowd to hear him. "EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU GODDAMN TRAITORS!"

Jana watched in horror as the crowd dispersed, Cornelius running up and grabbing her by her shirt. "You!" he roared, staring her in the eyes. "You're no good like the rest of them!"

Jana's body quivered, and her eyes filled up with tears. "Your daughter is _dead!"_

"And my wife is a traitor. They're exactly the same thing." Jana didn't have time to beg for her life before Cornelius pulled the trigger.

~.~.

 _In memory of Semper Celandine, 19_ _th_ _Place_

-Paisley Celandine, 18, District 8-

She didn't think she would have to wear black again for a long, _long_ time.

And here she was. Trapped in this stuffy room, surrounded by people that liked to pretend they cared when they barely even knew him at all. He was a quiet person. He didn't know a lot of people.

Even Nekoda came. He was the saddest Paisley had seen him since the fire, so long ago. He probably didn't think he needed to wear black either.

"Hey," Paisley greeted, shaking his hand. "How have you been?"

Nekoda gave her a smile so wide Paisley could make herself believe it was real. "I've been... Hanging in there."

"Me too," she said quietly, trying to force a smile he would believe. "At least he had the best last night alive ever," she tried, but thinking about it made her façade shatter and tears roll down her cheeks. She was alone. She was actually alone. She didn't have her little brother, she didn't have her big brother, she didn't have Mom, she didn't have dad... She had Uncle Max and Aunt Nedda, but they weren't the same. They were both smiling ear-to-ear, shaking peoples' hands and thanking them for coming. Accepting their flowers and condolences. Since Semper died, Paisley hadn't seen them shed a single tear. And she had shed many, many tears.

"I hope he did," Nekoda said, his smiling quivering.

"Well wishes," Paisley said quietly, as Nekoda nodded and went to the open casket. The moment he saw Semper's body there, he burst into tears. Paisley's heart hurt just watching it. Nekoda grasped the side of the coffin, and his sobs filled the quiet, somber room.

Paisley continued greeting people. She didn't think she would have to do this without her little brother by her side.

The room filled with guests for the funeral, which would be held alongside Ester's. It was such a miserable day. Paisley wished it wasn't so sunny and gorgeous outside.

The last one to give Paisley their condolences was a boy she didn't recognize. Then again, it was hard to recognize someone if you couldn't see their face. It was perplexing to Paisley that he had a hood on and kept looking down, maybe that was some kind of mourning tradition she had never heard of.

"Thank you for coming," she said quietly. "My family and I appreciate it."

The boy stood up, flipped down the hood, and Paisley was shocked.

"Y-You..."

"Hello. I'm Numitor," he said quietly. "I... Couldn't miss this." He sniffled, and Paisley's heart filled with emotion. Quickly, she took the boy into her arms.

"I'm Paisley, his sister," she said quietly. "Th...Thank you for coming. He... Would be glad you're here."

Numitor's eyes filled with tears that silently rolled down his cheeks. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said quietly.

Paisley just wanted to hug the boy again, but restrained herself. Semper's first official boyfriend... And they had to meet at such a time as this...

"I brought this..." Numitor reached into his pocket, and gently placed the purple rose with a red inside into Paisley's hand. "I want you to have it."

Paisley looked at the rose, more tears pouring out of her eyes. "Thank you so much," she said, wrapping the boy in another tight hug. "But..." she pressed the rose back into his hand. "I think... You should keep it." A tear tickled as it rolled down her nose and she sniffled. "He gave it to you." She put it gently back in Numitor's hand. "It's yours."

Numitor looked up at her, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'll keep it until the day I die."

Paisley just nodded, smiling sadly through her tears. When Numitor walked over to the casket, Paisley followed. He looked so peaceful in there. Calm, like nothing had ever happened. Like he hadn't been murdered.

Numitor lost it just then. Paisley couldn't blame him. The boy buried his face in his hands and sobbed, as quietly as he could. Paisley put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be reassuring. Semper was always her reason for being strong. But today, her reason was Numitor. He had no one here for him but her. And dammit, she was going to be there.

"He was too young," Numitor said quietly. Paisley just frowned, not knowing what she could possibly say to him. Nothing would heal this wound. She knew it damn well. Numitor reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of checkers. "Your last king," he said quietly, placing them in the casket. "Rest well, Semper. I'll... Miss you."

Paisley's tears dripped into the casket as she watched.

"Come on, the funeral's starting."

"I was... Just going to stand in the back..."

"No, you're sitting next to me."

Numitor's face was streaked with tears, but he managed a small smile, which was all Paisley wanted to see.

"Okay. Th...Thanks."

Paisley smiled through her sadness. "Anything for an honorary little brother."

~.~.

 _In memory of Persei Holloway, 18_ _th_ _Place_

-Avis Symmes, 14, District 7-

It was a quiet and somber day in their household.

Avis never thought that her family would ever be this quiet. Not even little Thea was making jokes. It seemed that everyone was just so down that there was no way they could be cheered up. If they thought _they_ were upset... They had no idea how Avis felt. Uncle Camden thought he was upset, the one that was out more than he was in. They all thought they missed her, but they were forgetting who spent literally every second of the day with her. Avis felt like she was drowning and she couldn't go to anyone in her time of need. Her family liked to pretend they were being strong, but it wasn't enough for Avis. She needed more.

Everyone looked the best Avis had seen them in a while. They were wearing their nicest clothes after all. Out of respect for her.

Avis didn't look at them. The silence was miserable, but hearing them try to be themselves would definitely be worse.

The walk to the small funeral home in the Square was quiet. Eerily quiet. But they had to get there early if they wanted to have any time to grieve outside the public's eye. And apparently there was going to be quite the public eye, after her District partner's death had caused such a stir. Avis hated him. She was glad he was dead.

No... She didn't mean that. After seeing Persei die, Avis wasn't sure she could actually wish death on anyone. But... He was the reason she didn't have a way to defend herself. She had to be taken out and she couldn't even fight her attackers. At least her killers got what was coming to them. Avis was rooting for the girl from One. She seemed alright. But since Syca's ally had lived, everyone was all about Syca. They just forgot about Persei. But that didn't mean she didn't have a family. That didn't mean she wasn't just as loved and valued as he was.

When the family walked into the room, they noticed Syca's was already there. His parents were standing silently, glancing into the casket. They heard the sobs of a girl, his sister, Avis recognized her from the interviews of the final eight. She was kneeling, hunched over, and sobbing so loud it was almost like she was yelling.

Avis's heart softened. They were in the same boat.

When she saw the body in front of her, Avis froze. The rest of the family approached, but Avis couldn't make her feet move. After seeing that face so full of life, she wasn't ready to see the life gone. She wasn't ready to see what was going on. She watched Camellia clutch the side of the casket on the other side of the room. She watched her family, now diverting Persei's body from Avis's view. Slowly, the girl sunk to her knees, right in the middle of the room. So long she had been in denial, but her worst fears had come true. She had never felt more alone.

Her brother and parents hurried over to her and crouched next to her.

"I'm so sorry Avis... But we're going to be okay."

"Okay?!" Avis screeched at them, tears that she had been holding back for so long streaming down her cheeks. "That's easy for you to say! You just lost a niece, a cousin. I lost my cousin, and my best friend." Avis buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. When her parents touched her shoulders, trying to get her to stand, Avis swatted them away. "Leave me alone!" she shouted, and they left her. Avis didn't know what she was going to do. She was alone.

The next touch on her shoulder was one that she didn't recognize. When she looked up at the girl, she drew back. It was Camellia.

"What do you want?!" she asked. "Here to make Persei the villain of Panem?"

Tears silently fell down Camellia's cheeks. "He was my best friend, too," she said quietly.

Avis's heart softened. Someone understood how she felt.

"I'm so sorry this happened. I... I don't know how I'm going to go on either," she said quietly. Avis glanced up at her, not sure if she could trust her. The girl's face was kind, and soft. Nobody really showed Avis kindness like that. She slowly got to her feet and, against her better judgement, gave Syca's sister a hug.

Maybe it would be a little less lonely here.

The door opened just then, and Camellia looked up. The boy standing there was only a few inches taller than Camellia, but well-built, with black hair and brown eyes that looked gentle.

"Malloy!" Camellia ran across the room and hugged him. "Thank you for coming."

"It's packed out there," he said.

Camellia sniffled and nodded, and Avis joined her family as the visitors started to come in. Avis saw people she never thought she'd see like this. Snively little Lyla Lawniczak, with Anenome and Conifer Tarantino. Mr. Madigan, and the other teachers Persei and Avis had in school. People who claimed were enemies of Persei that broke down at seeing her corpse. She was relieved when their friends from school came. Caia broke down by the body. Malcolm and Phelan held it together a little better. Avis needed them there with her. Helen, Kendal, and Anakyn also made an appearance. Helen stayed by Anakyn's side the entire day.

Syca got plenty of visitors too. Riggs Fidler, the Victor, made an appearance, accompanied by Wolf Jansing. Camellia couldn't even be happy to see them because everyone in the room was so miserable.

Soon, the visitors offering their condolences faded together, until it was time for the funeral. The service was short, and accented by Camellia crying out, along with Avis and Thea.

She relied on her friends, and every once in a while glanced over at the only person in the room that understood fully how she was feeling. Camellia was nestled in between the boy known as Malloy and her father. Wolf and Riggs sat behind her. While the service happened, the tributes' bodies were taken away, as was tradition of District Seven carried on by both families, to be cremated.

After the service, the urns of the tributes' ashes were taken into a clearing of trees behind the funeral home. Each tree had a small stone with the name of the tribute whose ashes were buried there. Avis thought maybe it would be less painful than going to a graveyard. The group that went to the forest was smaller, just Syca's family, Malloy, Riggs and Wolf, and a couple of other young people that would be his friends. Persei's family was there, plus Caia, Malcolm and Phelan. Exactly the group Persei would want there to bury her ashes.

The sun shone through the trees and was warm. It was a beautiful District Seven day. Syca's father dug the hole below his tree, and Persei's brother Seth dug the hole below hers. Camellia was given the urn of ashes, but eventually shook so bad she passed it over to Riggs, passing on the honor to him. Avis took the ashes that were Persei's with shaking hands. She was given the honor of spreading them under this tree, which would become her resting place.

The crowd was silent as Avis and Riggs stepped up to the holes in the dirt. Just before Avis turned the urn over, a voice rang out in the crowd.

" _Lay down... Your sweet and weary head..."_ The quivering voice belonged to the young man who was the first to visit Camellia. Even when the crowd was silent, he kept singing. _"Night is falling... You've come to journey's end..."_

Wolf joined in with the next line. _"Sleep now... Dream of the ones that came before..."_

Right before Avis's eyes, the entire crowd, one by one, joined into singing the song. A chorus of voices filled the air. Riggs joined, slowly tipping over the urn, and Avis was the last to join.

" _What can you see... On the horizon? Why do the white gulls call?"_

Avis slowly, gently, piled dirt onto the pile under Persei's tree. Riggs did the same to Syca's pile. Both of them rejoined the crowd after that, who were still singing the old District Six folk song. Wolf and presumably Malloy were ad-libbing harmonies along with the shaking crowd. She felt Caia take her hand, and reached out to take her mother's hand beside her. Soon, the entire crowd was joined, under the Syca tree and the Persei tree, singing the song Riggs had used as a final goodbye.

Avis could feel her heart softening.

After all that had happened, she knew she would never be the same.

~.~.

 _In memory of Ashlyn Bayard, 17_ _th_ _Place_

-Cedara Bayard, 20, District 12-

Both of the twins. Gone.

Cedara had always teasingly said that they would never be apart. She used to tease and say that they were stuck together, and if one were to die the other would surely die soon after. She never meant it. She never meant for either of them to die. She never meant for her three siblings to become one so quickly. She didn't even get to live.

Cedara knew that she would be happier with him up there than she was ever down here. But that didn't mean that she didn't miss both of them terribly.

Her husband was in charge of the baby so that Cedara could go say her final goodbye to her sister without having to worry about the infant. She was thankful that he was willing to watch her. He understood how hard this was for her... She had watched the boy kill her. The boy who should have never had a chance against Ashlyn. Cedara almost wondered if Ashlyn gave up her chance just to be with Aspen. Not that she would have with Kaelys still alive, but... It was certainly a possibility.

The day was overcast in District Twelve, which fit Cedara's mood perfectly. She couldn't believe that in a matter of a few years she would be back here again. They were both stolen too early...

When Cedara arrived, she saw a young woman standing outside the door, dressed in her very best. She was a very dainty and looked to be a merchant.

"Are you here for the funeral?" Cedara asked softly, and the other woman looked up.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I'm Susan Noir."

"Oh, you're a relative?"

"Yes, his sister actually," she said quietly.

"I didn't know he had a sister," Cedara said. "I don't think we met the last time we were here."

"Oh, I don't work here," Susan said quietly. "I married early and moved. This wasn't the place for me."

Cedara nodded. "I understand. Oh, I'm Cedara Bayard. Ashlyn's sister."

Susan looked up, surprised. "Oh! Nice to meet you." She shook Cedara's hand. "I've been trying to gather the courage to go in for a while now. I don't have much time before my husband is bringing our baby, though, so I should hurry."

"I understand," she said quietly. "I had to steel myself to see my brother in here a few years back. Unfortunately, it doesn't get easier."

Susan sniffled, and when Cedara looked over, the girl's eyes were full of tears. "They were both too young," she said quietly.

Cedara nodded solemnly. "At least they both died knowing they were loved," she said quietly.

"I... I suppose," Susan said quietly, but she didn't sound convinced. "I'm sorry... I'm still wrestling with it all. I just... Can't see any upside to my baby brother dying before his nephew could really know him."

"And my baby sister died before her niece could ever remember her," Cedara said quietly.

The two young women exchanged a look of understanding and sadness.

"I wish I had been more present in his life while I still could. I... Never thought it would end this quickly, this soon. If I had only known..." Susan looked away from Cedara, at the dusty grown below her.

"I... Understand," Cedara said quietly. After Aspen died, she thought their family would be free of trauma for a while. She never thought she would lose another sibling, after losing one already. She was wrong, and she would always regret not coming over more often. Not that Ashlyn would ever want her niece to see her face, with the scars. Still...

"I think it's time for us to go in," Susan said quietly.

"Me too," Cedara said quietly.

"Let's be brave together," Susan said, holding out her hand to Cedara, who took it, smiling. "Of course."

~.~.

 _In memory of Joule Barode, 16_ _th_ _Place_

-Surge Barode, 16, District 5-

Surge wasn't blind.

He may have only been sixteen, but he knew when something fishy was up when he saw Rilah walking with another man the day after Joule was sent away. Even before he was shown on television doing things that Surge didn't watch even though they were "mandatory viewing." He would have rather been shot for treason than watched his brother do the do with _anyone_. Eugh.

Rilah must not have recognized him, because she was getting pretty handsy with this guy that certainly wasn't her fiancé.

It was the hardest thing Surge had ever experienced. Joule took all of the blame on live television. He was labelled a cheater, and the whole nation hated him. He apologized like he was the only person that had done wrong. He gave away his chance because he thought he was so helplessly hated, and labelled him as Nerio's cheating whore.

Maybe June Fisher had also admitted to cheating. But she had so much time in the Games to prove that she was more than that label. She was able to do good, somehow earn the string and save Riggs. Now she has an entire life to live. An entire life during which she'll earn labels much nicer than dirty cheater.

A chance that Joule never had.

Surge knew him as so many things. Big brother. Kind. Curious. Devoted. Loyal. Troubled.

But those didn't matter. The only label that mattered to everyone else was cheater. Cheater that died in another tribute's place. Surge had to watch Chance torture his brother before Nerio put him out of his misery. He had to watch the people that killed Joule prosper. He had to watch Joule resign, accept that all he would ever be was the cheater. It angered Surge that she didn't realize that he was far, far more than that.

The worst part was that it looked like Joule wasn't the only one that had done wrong in the relationship. The fact that Rilah would forever be seen as an angel that was dirtied by Joule the cheater filled Surge with rage. If she thought she was going to get away with hanging on another man without her wedding ring on right after Joule was sent to die, she had another thing coming for her.

Surge was determined to get to the bottom of this. He had no idea how he would ever clear his brother's name, but he needed to know the truth. And he had a feeling that if he put Rilah in a corner, she would tell him everything he wanted to know.

Right after mandatory viewing ended and two Victors survived, Surge walked to Rilah's house. It was time for him to know the truth.

Rilah looked surprised when she opened the door to see him on the other side.

"S-Surge!" she said. "Hello." She offered him a smile.

"Hello Rilah," he said. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, um, sure, but... Why are you here?" She stepped aside, and he entered, seeing the same man she was with before sitting on the couch.

"Just checking up on you. After all, you were going to be my sister-in-law. Family sticks together."

Rilah bit her lip. "Oh... Thank you. Would you like something to drink?"

"No thanks," he said. "Who's this."

"Oh, this is Roland. Roland, Surge."

"Hey," Roland said. The man had dark purple splotches on his neck, which made Surge acutely aware of the scarf Rilah was wearing.

"Wow, your neck looks bruised. Wonder how that happened."

Rilah must have caught wind of what he was doing, because her face went from soft to scowling in a matter of seconds.

"I think you need to stop talking now," she said.

"So all this time you've been sleeping with _him?!"_ Surge asked, anger coursing through his veins.

"Joule cheated first!" Rilah said. "He's the cheater and I'm just trying to move on!"

"This was ongoing, wasn't it? You couldn't pressure him to have sex with you and you coped with _him_!"

"I needed satisfaction just like Joule! So I wasn't perfect either."

"And you let _him_ be the villain!" Surge roared. "You never planned to come clean! You let him be the villain that was so hopeless he chose to _die_!"

"He was right, we were never going to fix things. I needed someone that wanted me in _every_ way!"

Surge balled his fists in anger, as Rilah, just to spite him, climbed back on top of Roland pressed her body against his.

"Joule won't be the only villain forever!" Surge shouted. "S...Somehow, I'll show the world that you were guilty too!" He quickly turned away and ran from the scene, not wanting to see her cheating face anymore.

And unlike Joule, she would always be the innocent one.

In his heart, Surge knew that she would get away with her acts.

There was nothing he could do anymore, after all.

Joule was dead.

~.~.

 _In memory of Jacques Noir, 15_ _th_ _Place_

-Adrien Noir, 42, District 12-

There was so much to do. So much to plan.

He had to make sure the room was clean, that the flowers were just right. He had to be sure that everything was tip-top.

When Adrien woke up with nightmares about watching his son die, he went to the home. Maybe it was four in the morning, but work always had to be done. Maybe he could organize some of the files. Maybe he could compile some legal documents to put into folders. Maybe he could clean, sort, and make sure the flowers looked perfect.

Adrien turned on the lights of the gray room, where the corpses were sitting in closed caskets. They would be opened later. But Adrien had to make sure the tops were perfectly polished. They couldn't be open yet. They couldn't be open until the very last possible moment. They just couldn't.

For the third time, Adrien vacuumed the carpet. For the fourth time he cleaned the decorative mantle and fireplace. He lit the fire so that the cold room would be warm and welcoming by the time everyone else arrived. He swept the furniture for the third time. He polished the wooden armrests for the fifth time. Anything to distract his mind. Anything. To keep from thinking that his son, the one that would help him with these things, was gone. Taken by death.

Adrien had been used to being surrounded by death, but he hadn't experienced it, truly experienced it, for a long time. Sure, he'd lost his parents, just like every other adult in the District. But he had plenty of time to prepare for that. They had lived their lives to the fullest, passed on their family business to their son, and died in peace.

It was nothing like this. Having less than a week to prepare to lose his son. His son, who gave his weapon away to try and protect his ally, who later perished. Maybe one of his allies lived, but she wasn't devoted to Jacques and everyone knew it. It was different to watch his son and the heir of his business be stolen by death before he even had a chance to live his life. He was only a child. It was far harder to accept death like he had so many times before.

He worked feverishly to make sure that everything was right. There couldn't be too many flowers in one place, and there couldn't be too many flowers of the same color together, and they had to be evenly dispersed. When something didn't look right Adrient moved it. It was a tedious process, soon Adrien was moving individual flowers. Everything to make this a perfect final ceremony for his son.

"Adrien dear?" the gentle voice of his wife made him look up. She looked exhausted and sad.

"Good morning," he said.

She had a big smile on her face, as was usual. "Good morning," she returned. They both knew that the day was far from good.

"How long have you been up?" she asked, still smiling.

"A while. Just had some work to do before everything started."

"Of course you did," she said quietly. They existed in silence for a second, both of them knowing the other was coping.

"I made some breakfast," she said, smiling wide. "Come on back to the house and let's have some."

Adrien looked at the casket that contained his son's body. He had gone through all the steps to embalm and prepare it for burial, and he had been fine.

Marie's smile faded slowly, for the first time in years. Her cheeriness wasn't enough. His working wasn't enough. They had lost their son.

The tears started to fall down Marie's cheeks, and at seeing her break the façade, Adrien's also came crashing down. No amount of work, no amount of smiling, would ever change the fact that their son was gone. Nothing would heal the pain, or make it hurt less. He was just... Gone.

Marie crossed the room and fell into Adrien's arms, letting out a small sob. Adrien ran his fingers through her hair and held her close. Neither of them had to say anything.

They knew that it was going to be the hardest day of their career.

And of their lives.

~.~.

 _In memory of Luna Pentti, 14_ _th_ _Place_

-Elysia Bove, 18, District 4-

Elysia still visited the Academy, even though she was no longer eligible to volunteer. Sure, Luna had always been stronger than her, but Elysia was mostly interested in being a trainer, and she wanted to specialize in medical training. She just thought if they had multiple trainers with specialties, maybe that would make the trainees stronger.

Luna had died by a dirty trick, and everyone knew it.

She continued watching with her fellow trainees up until the very end. She was hoping, just a little, for a District Four victory through Nerio. At least he would have noticed that the Three boy played a dirty trick on his District partner. Maybe he could have done some good for the District. But he was dead, just like her.

Elysia got there early. The Games were over, the hype had settled itself, and she wanted to prove that she could be a good teacher. As she was setting up her station, she saw a figure approaching. A figure she recognized. Just seeing it brought a pain to her heart that she thought had been healing.

Elysia watched as the gray cat approached. It looked thinner, its hair matted.

Selina looked up at Elysia and let out an indignant mewl. She knew what the cat was saying. _Where is she?_

"Get out of here, cat," Elysia said. "Scat. Go on."

Selina kept looking at her, not budging. As if Elysia would just go get Luna for her.

"I can't get her," Elysia said, scowling. She had always been a little jealous that Luna had such a fondness for Selina, when all the cat could do was sit and watch her. Elysia was her true friend, she stayed around and consoled Luna when her family was putting her through hell. And yet, Luna was so gentle and kind with the stupid cat. "Get out of here."

The cat mewed at her again, and Elysia balled her fists. "She's gone! She's gone and dead and you can't do anything to save her! So get the hell out of here and find someone else!"

Selina just blinked at her. Elysia felt all the grief and hurt coming back. She had lost her friend, and the cat would never understand or care.

"I said leave!" Elysia said, throwing a first aid kit at the cat that clattered on the ground right next to her. Selina backed away.

"I don't want you and nobody will want you like she did! She's dead! Get out of here!" Elysia's eyes filled with tears. The cat scampered away from her.

"What's going on!?" A voice called. Soon, Elysia saw Michael Spinnaker wheel into view.

"Hello Michael," she said, wiping her eyes.

"What's this? A stray?"

Elysia felt more tears come to her eyes. "No. It was Luna's."

Michael looked at the cat. "Oh... Right."

"Selina," Elysia said. "Luna loved her. But she's gone."

"That doesn't mean the cat needs to be starved," Michael said. He reached down and held out his hand, letting the cat sniff it. Selina allowed him to stroke her head, and eventually pick her up. "I'll take her."

Elysia looked at him in shock. "You?"

"Yeah." Selina looked comfortable on his lap. "If there was one thing that Luna taught me, it was that I shouldn't' let this chair stop me from doing anything. And I'm sure she doesn't want anything to happen to Selina, so... Maybe this will be my way of thanking her." Michael smiled, but his eyes looked sad.

"I don't want her," Elysia sniffled, picking up the first aid kit. "I doubt anyone else would either."

"Well then, I'll take care of her. Make sure that nothing hurts her." He looked at the cat, frowning. "Exactly what I couldn't do for Luna."

Elysia frowned. There was nothing he could have done to keep Bec from killing her in the chaos of battle. He was right.

Elysia wiped her eyes and continued setting up her first aid station.

"I'm sure that's exactly what she would have wanted."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: There you have it, our first District epilogues! I hope you like them! Next chapter we'll have the 11 others to see how their friends and family are holding up!**_

 _ **Oh, oh, I keep forgetting to say that I have a discord server for my stories, so if you're interested in joining send me a PM!**_

 _ **Also, I've made a personality quiz for which tribute are you from this story! If you're interested, here's the link! I'd love to know who you get: Goo . gl/SXY2ak**_

 _ **And, now that this chapter is up I'm officially putting up form for the sequel to this story, Whims of Fate, on my profile! So look out for that! I'm so excited to see what you all have in store!**_

 _ **CQ: For those with tributes in this chapter, what did you think of their epilogue? For everyone, which epilogues were your favorites and why?**_

 _ **Thanks for all your support, I'll see you next chapter!**_


	51. Epilogue III

_In memory of Jasper Pearce, 13_ _th_ _Place_

-Emma Rall, 6, District Nine-

Emma liked dressing up, but not today. Today she didn't like it at all.

Today, her mother had to force her out of bed. Her father yelled at her to get ready (Emma was a well-behaved girl, so she hated to be screamed at). Her mother had to pick out the clothes. Emma didn't want to get dressed, though. She didn't want to get all dolled up and go anywhere today. If she didn't get all dressed up and go to his funeral, she would never have to say goodbye to him. She could always pretend that he would be back tomorrow, smiling and laughing and trying to get her to eat her icky vegetables. He would be back to play games with her and dress up like she loved to do. If she put on that black dress, with those shoes that squeezed and hurt her toes, and the tights that were itchy and scratchy, she would have to say goodbye to him.

Emma wasn't ready to say goodbye. She didn't want to say goodbye. If she didn't put on the dress and the tights and the shoes, if she didn't comb her hair or brush her teeth, she wouldn't say goodbye to him yet. Maybe she would never have to say goodbye to him.

If she just hid here under her bed, she wouldn't have to say goodbye. The moment those pinchy shoes were on her feet and she stepped out of that door, she would be saying goodbye. She wasn't going to do that. Not today and not ever.

She didn't care how her mother shrieked when she went into Emma's room and saw her hiding under the covers.

"Get out of bed right now!" she shouted. Emma didn't like when she raised her voice, but she hated the thought of wearing those clothes and saying goodbye to Jasper even more. Her mother eventually had to rip the covers away from her and pick her up out of bed. Only when her cover was thrown did Emma go to the bathroom, brushing her teeth (slowly, as slow as she could) and brush her hair (one brush for each strand of hair, until Mom yelled at her to hurry up and took the comb, to do it for her). Mom got her into her dress, and rolled the tights up her legs, and Mom put the shoes on her feet and fastened them up.

It was time.

Emma walked with her Mommy and Daddy to the building that Emma always thought looked pretty on the outside. She had always wanted to see what the inside was like. Until now, when she knew what the room was for.

There was a single casket, and he was laying inside. His father was there, alone, looking sad. Jasper said he didn't have a mommy, but Emma knew that if he did she would be here too.

Emma's parents tried to make a barrier so she couldn't see, but she caught sight of his body. He wasn't going to wake up anymore. Her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't stand to look at it. When her father saw her crying, he picked her up and held her so she could cry into the soft pad of his shoulder.

The room started to fill with people Emma didn't know. All three of District Nine's Victors came. Emma had met June once or twice, and she loved to tease Jasper about her, until one day she mentioned her and Jasper told her they weren't together anymore.

The room was somber, and Jasper's father thanked everyone for being there, and talked a lot about how much Jasper meant to him. Then Mommy turned to Emma and asked her if she wanted to say anything. Emma didn't want to say anything because that meant saying goodbye to Jasper and she was never going to do that. She never wanted to. So Mommy went and talked instead, about how good he was as a babysitter and how much Emma loved him. She did love him, so much. She never wanted anything bad to happen to him.

June spoke too. The room was quiet and Mommy was frowning. Emma was interested though, because June came up to the stage with two big bags.

"Hi everyone..." she started, quivering slightly. "I... Know that you don't want to see me up on this stage right now. But... I just wanted to say some words." She sighed. "I know I wronged Jasper." She stared at her feet. "I wronged him, and I broke his heart. I did a bad thing. I lost control of myself and then I lost the love of my life. And then... I lost him again. And I'm here. I'll have to read the Capitol's speech for you all on my tour, but here... I will tell you how I really feel. I know I don't deserve to be standing here in front of you all. He should be, and I should be laying there." Her cheeks were wet, like Emma's were. "I loved him and I did him wrong, and he still cared about me. I did nothing to earn that. And I am now going to do whatever I can to earn his kindness." June sniffled and wiped her eyes. "But I knew Jasper. And I know that he wouldn't want any of us to be sad to lose him." June sniffled and wiped her eyes. "He had such a sense of humor, and I think he would want us to hold onto that part of him. You know if his ghost were here he would be making jokes about dying." The crowd laughed sadly, and Jasper's father was nodding.

"So, let this be a day of grief, but also a day to celebrate the goofy legacy of Jasper Pearce," June said, forcing a smile through her tears. "And I thought..." she pulled something bright red out of her bag. "How can we be miserable while we're all wearing silly hats?" June put the hat that looked like a squid on her head. "I just know he would want me to stand up here, looking ridiculous, so you can all laugh at me and remember how much he made everyone smile." June opened both bags and put them on the floor in front of her. "So, if you want, I invite you to take a squid hat, and join me in remembering the light he gave to the world." June looked nervous as she surveyed the crowd. Nobody was going...

Emma squirmed out of Daddy's lap first, and took a green hat out of the bag. She put it on and through her tears, she smiled, and June smiled back. "You look so silly," she said, and June laughed. Soon, Jasper's father, and Trevor, and Emma's parents, and Prentice and Vale, and everyone in the room had gone to the bag and picked out all differently-colored squid hats.

When Emma had put on the dress, the itchy tights, the pinchy shoes, she thought she would have to say goodbye to Jasper forever. But when she put on her squid hat, she knew that she would always carry a piece of him with her.

She would never have to say goodbye.

~.~.

 _In memory of Dania Lidano, 12_ _th_ _Place_

-Carlen Lidano, 23, District 2-

Carlen was nervous about this. He wasn't actually sure why he was nervous. Well, any first date would be a little nerve-wracking, but it was even more-so when your first date was with someone so intimidating. Someone so out of his league. Someone so... Badass.

Carlen wasn't really sure if he should have been talking to Nona Amatore so much when Nona had been the mentor of his dead sister. It just felt so natural, though. Carlen hadn't felt such an honest connection with a girl in such a long time. He knew that Dania would certainly not have wanted him to let this one slip between his fingers.

They'd talked a little bit at her funeral, and Nona had invited him to spar, and they started to talk even more. He didn't mean to be feeling this way, but there came a point when he knew Dania would not have wanted to be the reason he didn't pursue this absolutely gorgeous, badass, surprisingly relatable girl that had come into his life like a whirlwind.

It was more than a little bit intimidating to approach her and ask her out on a date. Not just a sparring outing, like, an actual date... She could easily crush his head between her thighs like a watermelon. But he liked that about her. He liked everything about her. She was Nona fucking Amatore, what wasn't there to like about her?

Carlen had once thought the Victor to be slightly heartless, but she was just a tough-love trainer. He could see in her face, in her eyes, that she really cared about Dania. And the way she silently fumed every time she remembered that Dania was taken out by some dirty trick by the street rat from District Three. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't Nona's fault, there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it as it happened. It just hurt Carlen to watch his sister suffer so much. He would have thought it got easier and easier to mentor with each year, to the point where Nona would lose her ability to care about the faces she mentored that died.

Nona wasn't like that, though. She had to be tough because that was the District Two way. Carlen understood that struggle all too well. He and Dania both had to fight with that societal expectation after all. But he knew that Nona's heart was softer than it looked, deep down, and that she was really missing Dania. He missed her too. Maybe they could miss her together.

Dania only wanted the best for her brother, and Carlen knew it. She loved and idolized him to the point where she couldn't see his flaws. He was just hoping that Nona would see his flaws but accept them for what they were, who he was. That was all he could ask of her.

He felt weird being in the Victor's Village, and even more nervous than he was when he knocked on the door. Nona opened it almost immediately, and she looked so amazing Carlen forgot how to speak for a second.

"Hey," she said. "Is this a good concert outfit? I confess, I've never been to one of Pluto's band's concerts..."

"I think it's great. As long as you can dance in a dress that tight." He grinned and winked at her.

Nona laughed a little. "Oh yeah, we're good then. Let's go. And maybe we're after the concert we can come back to mine."

She raised her eyebrows in a way that made Carlen wonder if he was dreaming. "Oh, hell yeah! C-Come on, we can't be late!"

Nona took Carlen's hand, and he knew that this was exactly what Dania would have wanted for him.

~.~.

 _In memory of Kaelys Deinard, 11_ _th_ _Place_

-Liah Young, 18, District 3-

None of them had ever been to an actual funeral before. That didn't mean they hadn't seen it all, though. Liah had seen a handful of dead bodies, but they were usually of people that dared opposed Kaelys and her posse. Liah had never been to a funeral like this before, and she could tell that the rest of their friend group was in the same boat.

Emil was dressed up, the first time Liah or any of the others had seen him looking so clean and nice. For a gang, they cleaned up well, she thought. He mostly looked awkward, keeping to himself. He was so used to causing destruction and lighting fires, and now he was the one sitting in the rubble. He didn't even know how to carry himself.

Flint was just as quiet and awkward, but he couldn't hide his sadness like Emil could. Emil had been nothing but angry as it went down, as Kaelys's own ally had whacked her on the head and knocked her out cold, left her to drown with the boat. Now it seemed he had calmed down, though. Flint still couldn't help but looking sad. Emil was used to people targeting him and his friends. After all, they always go after the biggest threat. Flint was still in shock. Liah supposed he hadn't considered a reality in which Kaelys wasn't coming back to them. Perhaps he was just in denial until today. When you were walking with your friends to a funeral home, it was impossible to be in denial any longer.

Luke seemed to be the only one that knew how to handle himself. Of course he was the best-dressed one there, after packing a suitcase full of clothes he had once had in a walk-in closet. He had to run away from his Peacekeeper father, from his Capitol roots. Hailey looked nice as well, and was the most hesitant for all of them to go. After all, they operated in back alleys, and she was always worried about being caught stealing. She was worried that if they came there might be some investigation, or consequences. Ultimately, they believed that paying respects to Kaelys was worth the risk.

Liah had been by Kaelys's side the longest, and she knew that there wouldn't be anyone else there for Kaelys and her memory. Maybe there would be some pity-goers, but everyone would be there for Bec, who got fourth and had a heart of gold on top of his whole vengeance thing. She knew how alone Kaelys felt, how this gang was the only place Kaelys belonged. She would have never forgiven herself or her friends if they didn't come for this day.

When they entered the funeral home, it was obvious that Liah had been correct in her thoughts. Bec's side had quite a group. Two parents, his brother, his friends that had been interviewed, and they all looked miserable. Erwin, that was his name, had tear-stained cheeks, and though he was standing next to the casket with Bec in it, refused to look over. Liah noticed that they all had some kind of paint on their faces, but didn't know what it meant.

On Kaelys's side, not very many people were waiting. There was a woman that was older than Kaelys and a handful of older teens. Liah figured that was her orphanage mother, and perhaps some of the other orphans that were missing her. Kaelys always said they never loved her, nobody did, but by the look on the young woman's face, the pure sadness and misery, Liah wondered if maybe that wasn't the truth.

Liah took a deep breath as Flint reached over and grabbed her hand, biting his lip to try and hide the fact that he was on the brink of tears.

This was going to be the hardest death any of them had ever seen.

~.~.

 _In memory of Ester Perliam, 10_ _th_ _Place_

 _CHRONICLE'S OWN ESTER PERLIAM KILLED IN HUNGER GAMES_

 _Article by Christopher Caulfield_

 _One of the Shoemaker Chronicle's most brilliant writers, Ester Perliam, was killed in the 125_ _th_ _Hunger Games yesterday afternoon. Ester was going to be junior at Shoemaker High School in the fall, and worked as the writer of the ever-popular gossip column for the Shoemaker Chronicle._

 _Ester has been writing for the Chronicle for two years, and was going to begin her third year for the chronicle in the spring._

 _On reaping day, Ester was chosen along with fifteen-year-old Semper Celandine, who placed nineteenth._

 _While in the Capitol, Ester used her journalistic persuasion to join the Career alliance, and got close to the male tribute from District Ten, Attila of the Windy Plains. Ester had injured one tribute, and her partner Attila had killed multiple tributes, including her District partner Semper. Ester and Attila were the first to escape the Arena, a sinking ship, together, and headed towards the island that was said to house the red string of fate, which would allow two tributes to win if found. Upon arriving to the island, Juniper Fisher of District Nine was hiding in the trees, and shot Ester with an arrow before the red string would be found. Ester's lung collapsed, a wound that was fatal to her._

 _Ester's family has asked for privacy in this hard time._

 _Ester is the first member of the Shoemaker Chronicle's staff to be lost to the Hunger Games. She is one of three students attending Shoemaker High to perish in the Hunger Games, and the first to be reaped in 50 years. In her memory, her photo will be displayed in the classroom used by the Shoemaker Chronicles. The school has agreed to keep her nameplate and one of her articles to be on display in the hallway by the English wing. Her writing will be proudly displayed next to the writing of Justina Wilson, an editor who perished in the 51_ _st_ _Hunger Games, and Ryan Ronnogan, a photographer who was killed in the 63_ _rd_ _Hunger Games._

 _Ester was an integral part of our process here at the Shoemaker Chronicle, and our readers and staff are devastated over her loss. She was a joyful and bubbly person that touched many lives through her writing and through her sunny personality. I speak on behalf of everyone that knew her when I say that she will be dearly missed. She wrote with passion and had a style that could not be matched by anyone. She was knowledgeable and intelligent, and very curious. She always lit up the rooms she entered, and knew how to bring a smile to the faces of her friends and family. She did her family, friends, District, and The Chronicle proud in the Arena. Ester fought a hard fight, and died honorably in place of the person she loved. Ester will be dearly missed by the readers and staff of The Chronicle. We have decided to discontinue Ester's notorious gossip column in her memory. The column will return with a new writer in the following year._

 _Ester and Semper's funeral will take place at Hepburn Funeral Home. The date and time will not be decided until the Hunger Games has ended._

 _Rest in Peace Ester. We all love you and miss you._

 _~.~._

 _In memory of Oleander Kirk, 9_ _th_ _Place_

-Forsythia Kirk, 20, District 11-

She thought that soon, just soon, she would finally settle down and marry him.

She thought that maybe once everything in her life calmed down from moving, maybe if the chaos in her household died down a little bit, she would feel comfortable marrying him. Thia was hoping that maybe it would all calm down and she could finally relax enough to open up to the idea. She didn't want to marry him if she wasn't totally sure that was what she wanted. All she wanted was to move out of this house, it was cramped and there were too many people sharing everything and it was always noisy and nobody could ever have peace. Someone always needed her help with something, someone always called her wanting her company... Thia was running out of patience.

She was just starting to think she could finally think this through, but now her life had been sent into a tailspin, yet again. This time, though, he knew to stop asking. Nobody understood just how exhausting it was to live with a little deaf girl and a mother with osteoporosis. They always needed help, and they couldn't work so that duty fell on those who were able. He couldn't seem to grasp how exhausting it was to be constantly afraid for your mother's mental and physical health. Luckily, after losing Ollie to the Games, he had dropped it completely. For once their relationship wasn't tense. Thia was thankful for that.

Thia hated the sight of her mother in a wheelchair. She knew that Uncle Fennel was right, that it was going to be a long way and it wasn't worth making her walk all that way, making her stand all that time. They had gotten the wheelchair when Begonia had fallen and broken her leg, and paid to keep it. Thia had to work so hard, and the thought of seeing her mother in it made her even angrier than working for the money.

It was a sad, pathetic sight. Thia had already lost Ollie, she couldn't lose her mother too. And the weaker she looked, the more afraid Thia got. She hated being afraid like that, like a little girl. It seemed she would never escape that feeling.

Thia was thankful that Uncle Hemlock pushed her mother's wheelchair. Thia never wanted to do that. Never.

For once, the entire family was quiet. Not even Uncle Fennel could find anything to say. He held Calla's hand and walked quietly with her. Nobody wanted to lift the mood. Nobody could even try.

Ollie's funeral was held in a small funeral home, the closest one the Kirks could find to their house. Nobody else was going to want to come, they figured, and it was just easier, since Daria's was being held in the Capitol, to have it close to home.

The family was the first to arrive, and Thia looked away, repulsed, as soon as she saw his body. He had done nothing to deserve this fate. All he did was be born in this shithole, and not in the Capitol. Thia's eyes filled with tears that just wouldn't go away, no matter how much she willed them to. He never deserved this. Calla wasn't looking like Thia. When Uncle Fennel, Mom, and Uncle Hemlock went to the casket, Calla came and latched onto Thia's leg. The girl didn't usually care for Thia, so the motion just made her eyes fill with tears.

Before Thia knew it, the doors were opening. The first ones in were Ollie's friends. Tarragon and Petal were together, hand in hand. Both of them were already crying, and both hugged Thia. Another man joined them, Bracken. Thia had never met him, but Ollie talked about him a lot. Ollie really admired him.

The next people that came, Thia didn't recognize.

Floods of strangers poured in the doors, strangers that were waiting outside. Some of them knew Ollie from work, some went to school with him... Some of them didn't even know Ollie at all, they were just so touched by him that they came to pay respects. People brought all kinds of sympathy gifts. They received food, flowers, all kinds of gifts that were given with kind eyes and warm smiles. People that didn't even know Ollie brought so much... Thia was thankful. This would help them take care of themselves and recover. Hemlock, Fennel and Thia could take off work to be with the other family members and mourn. Their gifts meant more than they would ever know.

As Thia stood there, tears rolling down her face and looking at the room full of so many people, she couldn't help feeling sad, but she also felt proud. She was so proud of Ollie for being the amazing person he was until the very end. She admired him for that. He was truly amazing.

Thia had her eyes on a visitor in line who looked different from the stream of people. Mostly because they were pale, but also because of the dark gray hair that was uncommon in the District.

When they approached, brown eyes glistening with tears, Thia was floored. It was Piccolo Wallace, the Games interviewer. What was he doing here?

"You must be Thia, his older sister," Piccolo said.

"How...?"

Piccolo wiped his eyes and smiled at her. "Ollie and I had lunch together, the afternoon before the party." He sniffled. "I got to hear all about his family, and his life back here. I am so devastated to lose him. I knew I had to come say goodbye."

Thia, through her tears, smiled. How did a boy from District Eleven touch someone from the Capitol so much? Only Ollie could.

Piccolo handed Thia a small pouch. It was light, but Thia could feel a thick roll of bills inside. "Please take care of your mother, and your family. Okay?"

Thia's heart melted and she gave Piccolo a tight hug. "Of course," she said quietly. In her arms, the young interviewer let out a sob. She knew how he felt.

Piccolo saw Calla standing beside her and knelt down to her height. Thia was about to tell him that she couldn't hear him when he smiled. He waved his hand, and slowly, shakily, pointed to himself, hit his pointer and ring finger of his right hand off of his left, and spelled out the letters, O.

 _Hi! My name is Piccolo._

Calla's eyes widened as the Capitolite awkwardly signed to her, _your name what?_ It was obvious that he had never signed before, but he had learned just for today. Calla beamed and signed back to him. It was the first any visitor had talked to her in her language all day.

Thia couldn't help it, she had to watch as Calla signed far too fast for Piccolo and he had to sign _slower._ She watched the excitement in Calla's eyes when he asked her to show him Ollie's name sign. She was so excited to talk to a stranger in sign language that she didn't even care that he was terrible at it. When she asked him what he liked, Piccolo waved his hand like a conductor to sign music, and the second thing he did was make Ollie's name sign. That made Calla smile through her tears.

Thia talked to and hugged another stranger, but couldn't help watching Calla and Piccolo. Thia watched her make a P sign with both hands and hit them back and forth, like the sign for gray. Because she liked his hair. Thia hadn't ever seen Calla give someone a sign name outside of their family before. She wiped her eyes as Piccolo made the sign and then gave her a tight bear hug.

Thia couldn't help but smile a little bit. Ollie's legacy was going to live on through people like Piccolo, through people that had come here today. His kindness would carry on throughout this District, and the entire nation.

That didn't make it any less lonely without him, and it didn't make it any less miserable to be saying goodbye, true.

But it gave Thia something she hadn't had in years and years.

Hope.

~.~.

 _In memory of Syca Gallen, 8_ _th_ _Place_

-Camellia Gallen, 17, District 7-

Camellia had no idea why Senna even _asked_ if she was going to homecoming. She thought it was obvious that she wasn't going to go.

Camellia had done what anyone would do when faced with such a devastating loss. She picked herself up the best she could. Camellia was now going to school again, and though she hadn't been smiling nearly as much as she used to, someone will occasionally get one out of her. She wasn't okay, she was far from okay, but she felt like she wasn't drowning anymore, she had her head above water at least. She was able to fall back into a normal schedule. She didn't cry every day anymore, even when she felt numb and couldn't make herself do anything but stare at the wall.

"Come on, didn't you say _Jo's_ going?" Senna asked, elbowing her friend gently. "Don't you wanna go just to see her all dressed up?"

"No," Camellia said, swatting her arm away. Her new friend Jo was undeniably gorgeous, but that wasn't an avenue Camellia was ready to go down. Not with anyone. Especially not with someone she barely knew like Jo. It was surely nice of her to approach Camellia after Syca's funeral, and Camellia was glad she had her, but it wasn't enough.

"Why not?" Senna asked. "You've been so sad lately... Would it be such a bad thing to have one night you enjoy?"

"I wouldn't enjoy it!" Camellia said, tears poking at her eyes _. God, not again._ "You know. Syca was so looking forward to this dance. We always said we were going to get him a date and then we'd both have dates and go as a big group. And now... That can't happen!" Camellia turned away from her. Senna just reminded her so much of those times they all spent together. And she had recovered just fine after losing him, it seemed, while Camellia was still stuck in her pit of darkness. "No. I'm not going to the fucking dance. Just go have a fucking dandy time without me."

Senna shook her head, looking mad but mostly upset. "Fine. Don't say I didn't try to help you." Camellia's blood boiled as Senna got up and left, the door slamming slightly behind her. As soon as Camellia knew she was gone, she started to sob. It had been a while since she cried, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. Goddammit... She was sure a stupid dance wasn't supposed to hurt her this much, but it did. Everything with his memory attached to it hurt. No matter how stupid.

She wanted Jo right now. Senna didn't understand, not even Malloy understood, but Jo did. She had depended so much on Jo through these weeks. Jo knew what it was like to lose a brother to the Games, just like Camellia. Jo was the one that knew how to help her.

There was a knock on the door just then, that was a surprise. Her parents weren't going to be back from work until the evening. When she opened it, Jo was there. Camellia could have cried in relief.

"H-Hey," Jo said, face falling when she saw how much a mess Camellia was. "Oh..."

"Sorry," Camellia said, wiping her eyes. "Had a bit of a falling out with a friend."

"No, don't apologize..." Jo's brown eyes softened. "Do you... Want me to come back later?"

"No, I was hoping you'd come around actually. Please, come in..."

Camellia let the other girl in.

"What happened?" Jo stuck her hands in her sweatshirt pocket.

"Senna thinks that going to this dance will fix me," Camellia said. "She doesn't get it."

"Everyone thinks they can fix our brokenness," Jo said, rolling her eyes. "Pisses me off. You think we don't _want_ to be happy?"

"I just want to be happy," Camellia sobbed quietly. "And I can't. It makes me feel shitty that I can't manage it, even when people try their hardest."

"I know," Jo said quietly. "Nobody understands that."

"I wish they would," Camellia muttered bitterly.

Jo got a box of tissues for Camellia to dry her eyes and blow her nose. She always knew exactly how to take care of Camellia, better than anyone... Camellia was so grateful.

"What brings you here?" Camellia asked.

"Oh, um..." Jo's hands went back into her pockets. "Actually, I was going to ask you something..."

Another pounding on the door made Camellia look up. Who could _that_ be?

"Can it wait?" Camellia asked apologetically.

"Yeah, of course," Jo said, and Camellia smiled warmly at her. She ran her hands through her hair and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before getting the door.

At the door was Malloy, smiling at her. Camellia quickly reached up to fix her hair again. "Hi Malloy," Camellia said, smiling. She noticed right away he was wearing his guitar, wait that wasn't his guitar! That was a brand new guitar. It was gorgeous. Camellia loved to hear him play, so she wondered if he was going to show off the new instrument. But... why was he so dressed up?

Without even telling her hello, he started playing. Jo soon appeared at the doorway to see what was going on.

"We're no strangers to love... You know the rules, and so do I...

A full commitment's what I'm thinking of... You wouldn't get this from any other guy..."

Camellia was floored. Her heart started to pound and she wasn't sure what was happening, but he was looking so cute and playing one of his Upward Voyager covers, so she was totally chill with going along with it.

During an instrumental break, he raised his eyebrows. "Come with me," he said, giving her an excited smile. Camellia just couldn't say no to him, even though she barely left her house. She felt a smile spread across her face as she (and Jo) followed Malloy and he was a jamming and singing. She kind of wished he would stand still so that she could watch his face and his hands.

"What is he doing?" Camellia asked Jo, laughing. Jo just smiled and shrugged.

He lead her (and Jo) to the plaza that was close to their house. They got to the square right before the last chorus.

Camellia stopped short, her eyes widening as Malloy hurried up on the small stage in the Plaza, and the crowd of people gathered made a path for her to go to the front.

Camellia rubbed her eyes, stunned, as she watched Wolf Jansing beat the drums and Upward Voyager start playing the song that Malloy had been singing as he lead her on.

 _Malloy was singing on stage with Upward Voyager._

She turned to Jo, the grin stretching her cheeks. "This is _ridiculous!"_ she said, yelling over the music. What was the meaning of this!?

Camellia started to feel nervous if the meaning was really going to be what she thought... How could she say yes?

But also, how could she say no?!

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and- desert you!"

He looked so comfortable on stage singing, like he was practically a member of the band. This was so stupid, so stupid... But Camellia found herself laughing, trying to _move_ to the music, for the first time since he'd died.

When Wolf started singing the background vocals, Camellia thought she might pass out. The last time they'd met, Camellia was far too sad to be starstruck, but seeing him on stage reminded her how much she had been dreaming about a moment like this. When the crowd applauded, Camellia clapped too, and even managed a cheer. God, what a ham.

Instead of talking, the band went into another song. Had they planned this entire thing?! What the hell?! Camellia didn't notice she was holding her hand on her hear heart until the chord progression that she had spent years dreaming about hearing live started.

"Wise men say... Only fools rush in... But I can't help, falling in love... With... You..."

Camellia remembered all of the times she said someone was going to sing this song to her someday. She never thought it would actually happen... Her eyes filled with tears. But for the first time in forever, it wasn't accompanied with the crushing, heavy feeling. She cried because it had been so long since she felt this happy. This idiot had planned this whole thing just for her... Camellia felt like a princess.

"Take... My... Hand... Take my whole... Life... Too...

Cause I... Can't... Help... Falling in love... With... You..."

When the song ended the crowd applauded, and Camellia wiped her cheeks, feeling herself smiling.

"Ladies and gentlemen we are here today for a very special reason," Wolf's voice boomed from the microphone into which Malloy had been singing. "There is a very special young lady in our audience that I'd like to call up on the stage. Everyone give it up for Camellia Gallen!"

Camellia's heart picked up even more. Jo smiled and patted her shoulder. "Go," she said, but Camellia couldn't even hear over the audience clapping. The audience of all of her peers, and teachers from her high school, and they were all cheering for her. More tears formed in her eyes as she hurried up the steps, where Malloy met her, taking her hand.

The crowd was silent as he smiled at her, his brown eyes glistening with a sparkle.

Wolf turned off the mic, knowing he wouldn't need it anymore. "Dude, I heard from the grapevine that you weren't going to go to your homecoming dance."

Camellia blubbered, not sure what to say.

"And that's valid and all, I get it. But just remember that you have all of these people out in that crowd, and on this stage, that want to help you and support you my man. And, even though we can't fully understand what you've been dealin' with, we're still here and we want to make you smile just as much as your little bro would want you to." A tear rolled down Camellia's cheek. He was right, she knew he was right... "You're up dude," Wolf said, patting Malloy on the back so hard he almost toppled over.

Camellia glanced at Malloy, smiling at the warmth in his eyes. "Camellia... I wanted you to have the time of your life today, first and foremost. I hope you're having fun. So, um... I heard you weren't going to the dance, and I respect that. And if you still don't want to go, that's okay. But... If you want... I would be honored if you would be my date to the homecoming dance." Malloy smiled shyly, his face red as a tomato as he extended a bouquet of flowers. The very center flower was a green flower with a yellow inside.

Camellia's hands shook as she took the bouquet. She could practically hear Syca whooping in the crowd... She knew that he wouldn't want her to sit at home and sulk when she could be going to the dance and having fun with such a cute guy.

Malloy smiled at her and she felt her smile grow in return.

"Thank you all... So much..." she said, turning to the crowd. "Thank you Malloy, and thank you Upward Voyager. Wow, never thought I'd be saying that..." she laughed, still shocked, but it was a laugh. She'd almost forgotten what that felt like. She looked at the green and yellow flower, knowing that this was the best way to honor her brother. Sometimes she just needed a reminder of how much he always wanted her to be happy. "And... Malloy..." she smiled.

"I'd be honored to go to the dance with you."

~.~.

 _In memory of Attila of the Windy Plains, 7_ _th_ _Place_

-Marcius of the Windy Plains, 15, District 10-

Marcius woke up sore.

His body ached, his eye throbbed, and his head pounded. His throat was raw. His tears felt crusty with dried tears.

It all came flying back to Marcius.

 _Sitting with his parents, with Miss Circe, and watching the Games. He had watched his older brother get shot in the bottomside with an arrow, he watched him try to attack, try to climb, falling down, being too heavy. She watched him get close, try to grab June, he watched her pull her arrow back and shoot it straight through his face. The thought made more tears spring to his eyes. How could you unsee something like that?! He had watched his brother get shot, and the body was abandoned. Nobody was there for him, like he was there for Ester._

 _His father had immediately told him to stop crying. Marcius remembered that part well. He didn't really remember what happened next. All he knew was that it was punishment for failure to hold back the tears. Failure for not being strong or tough enough._

 _He remembered his father yelling, "This'll toughen you!" as he took a swing at Marcius's face. A swing that cracked his nose and caused him a lot of pain. But not nearly as much as Attila. The pain made him cry out, cry harder, scream, sob. He continued to be punished. He continued to be hit and hurt. He continued, his father yelling at him to quiet down and take it. Marcius couldn't quiet down. He was in so much pain, physical and emotional. He had lost his role model._

Marcius wondered if he had lost his role model before Attila was killed. He had to watch his brother do unspeakable things to kids that were his age. He couldn't even imagine being thrown into the Games at such a young age. Sure, Attila knew he had to win, that only one (or two) could come out, he had to eliminate the ones that didn't matter. But... Marcius could have easily been one of those fifteen-year-olds. It was a double-edged sword. It was also why Marcius couldn't stand the thought of ever volunteering someday.

He got on his feet, trying to hold back the groan. His father couldn't know that he was awake. Gaius was not known for being compassionate, and Marcius could really use at least a little compassion.

Marcius pressed his ear against the door, and heard Mom talking with Miss Circe.

"We simply cannot allow this to happen again," Camilla was saying, sounding earnest. Marcius couldn't remember if his mother looked sad or not upon seeing her son be killed. And then his killer had laughed, acted all proud at herself. Marcius hated her and hoped she died. He didn't care who won, but he hated the thought that it would be her. She had no respect, nor honor, for killing his brother the way she did. She was waiting for him to fight. She wanted him to die and be humiliated. Marcius felt anger course through him.

"I agree," Circe said. "I trained him the best I could, but I never encouraged him to volunteer like he did. I don't know what made him do it."

"I don't either..." Camilla said quietly. "Probably his father." She sounded tense. "If only I could just get rid of him. And take my son back."

"He was a wildfire," Circe said. "Nobody could control him. The girl from Eight is the only one that got close."

"I demand we have better training in this District, immediately," Camilla said. "I will pay for it if I have to! I cannot lose both of my sons, in the off-chance that Marcius's name is drawn I want him to have a good shot."

"I agree with you," Circe said, sighing. "I'm hoping that this will kickstart the training programs in the District."

"I can only hope so too..." Camilla said. "I'm going to go check on him."

Marcius hurried back to bed, trying to keep his heartbeat normal. Would he be forced to volunteer!? Would he be drawn out of the reaping bowl!? Marcius wasn't strong like his brother. He could never win the Games.

He could only hope that he'd escape the reapings alive.

Or that District Ten's Academies could make him into a killer first.

~.~.

 _In memory of Chancellor Magnusun, 6_ _th_ _Place_

-Radiance Magnusun, 16, District 1-

Radiance vomited when she watched Wicke kill her brother. She had to excuse herself so that her parents wouldn't see. Surely they wouldn't approve of her having a weak stomach like that. After all, she had to be the one. She had to be the better sibling, she had to be the one that showed up her big brother.

Her big brother, who was always pushing her and she pushed him. Her big brother, who was so highly regarded when Radiance wasn't even number one in her class. Her brother, who had volunteered at the age of seventeen just to prove he was better.

Her brother, who was dead now. Her brother, who would come back in a casket. Her brother, who would forever exist in the ground, underneath a grave, just like that tiny girl from Eleven would. In the end, death was the ultimate equalizer. He was dead, just like all of them.

Radiance usually had a stomach for gore, but it was different when it was her brother. It was different to watch the man she had spent so much of her life looking up to gurgling and choking on his own blood as he shouted for his ally.

So what if he placed sixth? He was just as dead as the tribute he killed first. He was just as dead as the tribute that died right before him, and the tribute that would die right after him.

Radiance lifted her head from where she had been puking and took a few deep breaths. Never in a million years did she think she would see him die.

Radiance flushed the toilet and went to the sink. She was shaking as she stared at herself. She stared at her pale skin, even paler after her being sick. She stared into those same icy eyes that he had, that would stare at her so intensely. The eyes in the mirror filled with tears, and Radiance couldn't help feeling angry at herself for crying. Strong tributes never cried.

It was his own _District partner._ This was a girl that Radiance had seen in training. A girl that Radiance had asked for help with her spear throw. This was a girl Radiance admired in the Academy, and now she had Chance's blood on her hands.

Radiance gripped the counter, her body shaking and her vision going in and out. She felt sick. Her head was pounding. She let a small strained sob out, trying to keep it quiet. She couldn't have Mom and Dad find her like this. She didn't want to be scolded. Radiance was so _sick_ and _tired_ of being scolded. Her parents didn't even seem sad. Her father had cheered on his killer. Now they were cheering for Nerio from the other room. Radiance could hear them.

 _He'd better win now,_ Radiance thought. _He'd better win and avenge the one he lost._

Radiance knew she was intense, and that she and Chance had a rivalry, but she loved her brother. She was so tired of constantly competing with him to earn their parents' love. When she was younger, all she wanted was to win, and be better than Chance, so that she could get a hug and a smile from her mother, so that her father would cheer for her. She let them manipulate her into becoming such a competitive mess, into not even caring about the man who shared her own _blood_. She was tired of thinking that her parents were worth losing him.

She wished the Games had never happened. She wished she hadn't pushed him so hard he thought he needed to volunteer to be better than him. She wanted to turn back time and change everything. She thought about her final eight interview, how she was so sure he was going to win, how to one-up him she would have to volunteer the next year and win, just to be even... She never thought he was actually going to die.

And now that he was dead, Radiance could see how bullshit it all was. How bullshit she was.

Radiance looked at her reflection, which looked back at her with an angry expression. She wasn't going to die like him.

Radiance stormed out of the bathroom, to the living room where her parents were.

"I'm not dying like him," she said.

"Well I hope to God you're not going to be the second failure," her father said snidely.

"You're going to succeed where he failed," her mother said, giving her a smile.

"No. I'm not volunteering at all."

"Not volunteering?!" her father roared, standing up. "I think to hell you are!" he screamed. Radiance started to shake, but didn't back down.

"I'm not going to put my life on the line and risk dying. I'm not being blinded by some stupid, pointless competition for your love. When would it end?! It was never going to end. You were going to use us to grovel for your love for the rest of your life!" she said, balling her fist tightly.

"You're being a coward!" her father roared.

"Radiance, don't throw away your opportunity at greatness," her mother said quietly. "Please. You'll be a deadbeat."

"I'm going to do something else with my life," she said.

"I did not raise two _failures_!" her father roared. "A failure and a _coward_!"

Hearing her father hurt Radiance, but she wasn't budging. "Call me names, it's not going to change my mind."

Her father grunted, going up to her room. It didn't take him long to come back with a small bag with some clothes and shoes thrown in. "You change your mind or you get the hell out of my house," he said.

Radiance stomped over, ripping the bag out of his hands. "I'm getting the hell out of this bullshit," she said, turning around and stomping out the door.

She wasn't know what she was going to do, where she was going to live, or how she was going to survive for more than a few days with no money, but she knew that she would find her way out.

She was done with this silly competition. She just wish she'd realized it when he was still alive.

As soon as Radiance was far enough away from the hat, she slumped against a building and let her tears flow.

She would never have to hold them back again.

~.~.

 _In memory of Wicke Valentine, 5_ _th_ _Place_

-Amelie Kristoph, 17, District 1-

Amelie sat in the classroom and couldn't help but feel slightly bored. She wasn't intending on volunteering of course, but she wanted to continue to graduate the Academy. Graduating school did set you up for better jobs, even if it didn't set them up for University.

University wasn't really in Amelie's scope, nor was it in Opal or Sterling's. They all three wanted good jobs, but they didn't want to continue their education.

Amelie had been hit hard by losing her best friend. She was lucky that she had such supportive partners that helped her through the worst of it. Without Sterling and Opal, Amelie would have been a shell of her former self. She was always there to support Wicke, so to watch her suffer through so much... It really took a toll on Amelie. She had to watch Wicke get close to Acacia, only to lose her first thing. By her own District partner, nonetheless.

Amelie was Wicke's number one fan. She was so proud to be involved with Wicke's final eight interview. Even though her parents and brother scorned her, Amelie believed in her from the very beginning. Even when everyone else believed in Rhode.

Even Opal was convinced that Rhode would win the fight to volunteer. They were convinced for a long time, in fact. They kept saying that Wicke would get her heart broken by losing the fight. Rhode was obviously more popular and better at what she did. But Wicke had proven them all wrong. Amelie was so proud of her.

Then she had gone and lost control. In the matter of a few seconds she had gone from triumphant to dead. Amelie had been so angry at her... She had no idea why Wicke did that.

The teacher came in for Strategies class. She glanced at Sterling, who gave her a look that signified how bored he was going to be by this class. Now that they weren't volunteering, they didn't even need this class. District One's training culture was fairly annoying.

"Good morning, class," she said, keeping her serious face on as always. "Today, our topic of the day is..."

She turned around and wrote a word on the board in big letters.

 _CONTROL._

"Control. It is completely necessary to keep it. If you lose it, you lose your shot immediately."

Amelie's grip on her pencil tightened.

"We all know that a lack of control can doom a tribute quickly. Regretfully, we recently lost a tribute for that exact reason. Therefore we decided to talk about it here."

Amelie felt herself simmer. Her hand flied up.

"Er, yes Amelie?"

"What about Chancellor? He also suffered a lack of control, getting so emotionally attached to his ally."

"That is true. However, Chance did not die because of his impulsive actions. Unfortunately Wicke did. I'm sorry Amelie. I know this is hard for you, but this is an important for us to talk about if anyone wants to volunteer next year."

They went silent. As soon as the teacher started to tell the class about Wicke's death, Amelie got up and left the classroom as fast as she could. Amelie never skipped class before, but she couldn't take it. The way that they were going to use Wicke as an example. It's like the completely forgot that she was a person! She was someone's friend! She was... So much more than just a lesson.

Sterling followed her out of the room, and as soon as she left the school he followed, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"How could they!?" she asked, angry and hurt, through her tears.

Sterling just held her and stroked her hair, not knowing what to say. He couldn't say anything to help her and they both knew it. Just his presence was enough.

Amelie would find some way to keep her friend's legacy alive... Some way to make a positive impact in her name that wasn't... This stupid lesson...

"We'll find a way," Sterling whispered, as if he had read her mind. "We'll find a way to honor her."

Amelie knew they would find a way, but she couldn't help feeling discouraged.

How would they honor a girl that nobody loved?

~.~.

 _In memory of Bec Pierre, 4_ _th_ _Place_

-Erwin Pierre, 17, District 3-

Erwin didn't often talk to Bec's friends without his twin being with him. Just another reason for today to cause Erwin anxiety. He felt so incredibly alone here, and couldn't even stand the thought of what was to come. His parents were quiet, solemn, knowing that Erwin was officially an only child. They seemed a little peeved at Bec for volunteering at first, but it wasn't a surprise to Erwin. He knew he would have done anything to protect his friend, even if it meant volunteering for the Hunger Games.

Erwin thought maybe Bec could have won, even though he didn't play to the Capitol's twist. He thought that his brother had a shot. Maybe that was why the Capitol let him get fourth... Just to give his family and friends hope, and then crush that hope. The mutts that lead Bec to Riggs didn't go very far after bringing the tributes together. They were ready to attack if Riggs didn't do the job for them. Bec wasn't going to make it out no matter what the outcome of that battle was. There was a reason they kept Bec from finding water. Erwin wasn't sure if there was any water in the forest area, probably just in the mountains, but... At this point, Erwin could see that the Capitol was masterful at making any detail, any death, look like an accident, look like it was fate. But they pulled the strings. They were the ones that planned the winners and losers. Bec was a goner from the moment he volunteered. He refused to play along with the Capitol's games, and he paid the price for it.

Everyone wanted to pretend that Capitolite girl was the martyr. Everyone wanted to pretend that boy from Seven was the martyr, and both statements were true of course. Neither inherently deserved to die. Even though Daria was from the Capitol, Erwin didn't think she deserved to die just because of where she was from. Just like the Districts didn't.

However, the list of martyrs was missing someone obvious. Erwin believed with all his heart that Bec was a martyr too. All of them were, really. They were all roped into the Capitol's sick game. Bec died because he refused to play it. He was a martyr whether anyone admitted it or not. His death was not a game of fate.

If Bec was going to die for who he was, Erwin swore he would carry on that legacy. He wanted to push for the things Bec was passionate about. Most of all, he wanted justice for the brother he'd lost. Though Ari was flaming mad when Riggs won, Erwin wasn't mad. Riggs seemed like a good guy. He just played the game because he wanted to survive. He never chose to be where he was, in an Arena, forced to fight for survival. Yes, he would always be Bec's killer first to Erwin, and everyone that knew him. But Riggs wasn't the problem. The problem was the one that was pulling the strings. Lux Hastings. President Blossius. The Capitol.

Erwin knew what he was going to do to honor Bec's memory. They were going to grieve, and they were going to take action. Erwin didn't want to put anyone in danger, so it would have to be subtle.

Every visitor coming to pay respects to Bec would get a purple and green X written on their cheek. The colors of aroace pride. In the shape of an X to say never again. He had to explain it under his breath to every visitor, but many of them agreed to have their faces painted, for Bec. To take a stand against the ones who were pulling all the strings. Erwin couldn't help being emotional as he looked out at the crowd, waiting for the funeral to start, all with the Xs on their faces.

 _Never again._

Erwin was ready to take a stand.

It was time for the Games to come to an end for good.

~.~.

 _In memory of Nerio Thames, 3_ _rd_ _Place_

-Pamela Thames, 15, District 4-

Pamela cracked the wall on which the screen was projected when she watched Riggs stab her brother.

After everything he had done, after everything he had gone through, he died in _third!?_ Pamela was shocked. She was so sure that he would live. She had been on screen, talking about her brother during her Final Eight interview. He was in the _finale_. He had lost Chance, he had taken so many lives, lives of kids that were Pamela's age, and even more defenseless, thrown in against their will. He was playing everything exactly right. He was about to kill Riggs.

 _Why did he even hesitate a second?!_ Pamela thought angrily. He should have killed Riggs, just like he did to his ally. She was sure that she would never forgive him for hesitating that single second, that single second that cost him the Victory. What if he knew that June had the string? Would he have gone out of the Arena with her? Or would he have killed her and won by himself?

Pamela didn't think about those situations long because she was so full of anger at her brother, but especially at the two outer District rats that decided to team up against him.

Riggs took the flower that had sprouted out of her brother's blood, which made Pamela even angrier. He had no right to pick that flower up! It was bloomed by the blood _he_ spilled!

Then she had the audacity to tell Nerio, Pamela's brother, to "rest in piss." Did she not realize that he had a family!? Did she not realize that he had a little sister, that just had to watch her brother die on live television, without being able to save him or die in his place?!

Pamela was so mad she started throwing whatever she could get a hold of at the wall on which the screen was projecting. She had yelled so many obscenities as the Victors were having their _hilarious_ banter. Over her brother's dead _body!_

Nerio was lying dead and they were smiling, laughing, not even caring that him and twenty-one others died in _their_ place! Pamela would never forgive them for what they did. They disrespected her brother and her family name out there, and they had gotten away with it. Maybe Nerio had killed, he had done what he had to in order to survive. Riggs murdered two people, so did June. They were _all_ murderers. What made Riggs and June any better, any more pure than Nerio?! If it had come down to Riggs or Syca, Riggs would have had to kill him. If it had come down to June and Syca, she would have killed him with no fear of consequences. Just because it was Nerio that did it, just because Riggs sang a stupid song and flowers bloomed, Nerio would forever be the villain.

He wasn't a villain, though! Everyone is just going to completely forget about how he took care of Chance and practically nursed him back to health, even when he was dead weight. They were going to forget how tenderly and gently Nerio loved Chance, how patient he was with Chance, how he saved Chance's life from the isonades.

He was just going to be another failure. Another one of the District's tributes that fell. And to most, he'll be remembered as the villain that stole lives with no remorse. He did feel remorse, Pamela could see it. He was just keeping a strong face on. He would forever be in the books as a villain, by people that didn't know him and didn't understand him. People that didn't know what culture he grew up in, that couldn't see how he was more than they thought.

Pamela didn't regret breaking their wall. She was just so angry.

And she was ready to tell the Victors off the moment they had the audacity to step foot in District Four.

~.~.

 _ **A/N: Finally done with District epilogues. I wanted to be working on the last epilogue for this story on the plane (I'm taking a trip and leaving Wednesday) but unless I get a stroke of motivation and time that align in the next two days that's seeming pretty doubtful.**_

 _ **Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I hope to have this story done and WoF up by the end of July. Where has summer gone?!**_

 _ **Anyways, don't forget that the Whims of Fate form is up, and so is the form for escorts from this story that are returning for WoF! Please feel free to check those out if you haven't already!**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Same as last: for those with tribs in this chapter, how did you like their epilogues? And for all, which were your faves and why?**_

 _ **See you all (hopefully) soon with the next chapter, back to Riggs and June!**_


	52. Epilogue IV

_Six months later_

-Riggs Fidler, 18, Victor of the 125th Hunger Games-

Riggs felt numb as he sat on the train.

He had forgotten what it felt like to be put in a nice outfit and drooled over by his prep team. The first time it happened, he loved it. He loved to have a group of people, all fawning over him and telling him how attractive he was ("for a District Six," they said, but Riggs often ignored that part).

Now, he just felt nervous, and sad. It didn't help that in just a few hours, he was going to have to go to each District and try and explain to them why he deserved to live more than their own children. Riggs couldn't tell them why he was still here. He couldn't tell them why he deserved to live any more than them. He didn't. The only reason he was even alive was because June had the string. If she didn't, he would be dead, he wouldn't even be here. Nerio would have killed him, Riggs would have placed third, and he would have failed. The same trident that impaled his ally would have impaled him, too.

Riggs stared out the window as the train sped to District Nine, where it would pick up June, Vale, Demetrius, and June's prep team. Riggs had talked to June on the phone occasionally, but for some reason they decided to keep the Victors from seeing each other until today. Something about a heartfelt reunion, Gian said. Riggs was pissed, though. They were keeping him apart from the only person that was in that Arena with him. Riggs was so glad he could be with Gian, who understood his pain, but he wanted to be able to be with June, too.

He wasn't sure what she thought of him. Were they friends? Did she just give him the string out of pity? Because she could see how pathetic and sad and helpless he was? Did she actually mean what she said, about wanting to win with him? Did she wish he would just leave her alone? That he was clingy? Did she want nothing to do with him now that they were out of the Games? Riggs imagined she had a good six months without him. She was probably further along the healing process than he was, after all. She was probably doing better without him bogging her down. Maybe she had asked for the separation. Maybe-

The train lurched to a stop, and Riggs closed his eyes and took a deep breath. June was just a toughie to figure out. He couldn't get in her head. Either way, he felt like he needed her far more than she needed him.

Jovia came over, beaming at Riggs. Since he had won, she had been even more cheerful than usual. Riggs appreciated her positive energy, especially because he just didn't have it in him to be chipper all the time anymore. He was barely ever happy nowadays.

Riggs stood up, trying to force a smile as Jovia gave him a reassuring pat on the back. He felt much calmer when Gian squeezed his hand reassuringly. Together, the team stepped out of the train. June and her team were waiting at the station, surrounded by robots that had cameras in them to document the meeting. Riggs's heart sank when Gian let go of his hand. Riggs's heart was pounding with nerves and excitement at seeing his fellow Victor standing there, wearing a black crop top, leather jacket, and a dark pleated skirt with a red stripe across it.

Riggs wanted to say so many things, _I'm so glad to see you, I missed you, I hope you're doing well._ All he said was a calm, "Hey."

June put up a hand in a wave that almost seemed shy. "Hi."

She walked briskly over to Riggs and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, which Riggs quickly returned. He was so happy to see her, and was soon smiling.

"Enjoy this because I'll never say it again. But... I missed you," she said quietly.

Riggs felt his grin grow, ever so slightly. He was pretty sure June actually liked him after all. "I missed you too. We have some catching up to do."

~.~.

Riggs didn't know why they insisted on changing his outfit again on the road to District Twelve, but he let them do as they pleased. That was what he had to do. When they pinned Ashlyn's rose on his suitcoat, Riggs shifted uncomfortably. As two Victors, each of them would speak about one tribute at the ceremony in each District. Jacques was June's ally, so she could wear his black and gray rose proudly. Riggs just felt uncomfortable with Ashlyn's rose, colored like fire. After all, he had allied with and dearly loved Ashlyn's killer.

Luckily, he and June did get some time to sit in the train and talk, take their minds off of what was coming, as they had ended up about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. The conversation had started slow and lukewarm at first, but soon the two Victors were barely able to take turns, they had so much to say. Riggs told her about District Six pride, showed her a picture of the mural Aimee had painted on his house, and talked briefly about attending Syca's funeral. He told her about Wolf coming back to Six with him and Gian for the first time since he'd left. He talked about seeing his brothers again and the most recent dare he'd completed.

June, likewise, was teeming with stories. She told him about Jasper's funeral, for which she'd passed out squid hats. She talked about holding a retirement party for Vale and meeting Prentice's weird family. She talked about Vale's new pet turtle, who he had lamely named Mr. Turtle, and was going to care for in his retirement. She talked about finding a parrot she fell in love with at the pet store and taking it home with her, and the various times she wanted to kill the parrot for screeching all night. She told Riggs all the phrases she was teaching her parrot to say, how she was training it to say "You will meet your doom tonight" every time Prentice came in to parrot-sit while she was away on her tour. She talked about her meeting with the Head Gamemaker, which surprised Riggs. What business did she have with Lux Hastings?

Just before he could ask, Demetrius and Jovia came back to retrieve their Victors, and the conversation was put on pause. Riggs's heart was pounding as Jovia put the notecard in his hands that he would have to read off of.

"Read exactly what's on the card," she said.

" _Exactly_ ," Demetrius echoed. "The last time a Victor diverted from what was on the card..." he frowned. "They paid a price for it. No heartfelt eulogies."

Jovia frowned. "I know it's hard, but... They're really cracking down on it. They're cracking down on a lot of things..." She hung her head.

Riggs shuddered, remembering the look on Bonaventure's face as he was executed. It was horrifying, but they had June and Riggs both watch it the night before they left. Nobody was safe. That was what they'd learned. Nobody.

"Just try to make the best of it!" Jovia said. "The whole nation will be watching you, so you should say the right things! That's all the Capitol wants for you after all! That's why they've written these speeches. They don't want you to say anything that could be taken the wrong way and get you into trouble. That's why they write your speeches."

Riggs and June nodded, but neither believed what it.

Jovia squeezed Riggs's shoulder, and Demetrius gave June a nod. "Be careful," he said quietly. "Please."

"Nah, I'm just going to go out there and not be careful at all," June said sarcastically.

Demetrius just sighed. "Please. I can't see another go through that."

June softened slightly. "Of course."

Without another word, June and Riggs left the train.

District Twelve was dingy and ugly. The clouds hung low in the sky. The notecard felt heavy in Riggs's hand.

Their announcement came with no applause, not that Riggs expected any. The families just looked so sullen and miserable where they were, on the podiums. June took the initiative and talked first, reading the words on her notecard so eloquently that Riggs felt insecure. Jacques was her ally, and she spoke well about him. She sounded like everything was okay, the words sounded so genuine you would think she wrote them herself. He glanced at each family, at the crowd, at the sky, the houses off in the distance... She was done talking. It was his turn to talk about Ashlyn. Like anyone wanted to hear what he had to say.

Riggs read the words aloud without knowing or remembering what he was saying. It was a miracle that the words all came out. They certainly sounded robotic, but this was the very best Riggs could do. The speech seemed to go on forever, but soon they were shown off to the crowd one last time and taken into the Justice Building.

There, Riggs and June were reunited with their mentors, and introduced to District Twelve's three Victors. Riggs never thought he would meet them in person. Braelynn had such a kind smile, it was hard to not feel welcome with her around. Allegra was kind as well, though nervous. Riggs understood how she felt. The other Victor wasn't a mentor for this Games, but stayed around because he would be swapped in for mentoring the next two years, next with Braelynn and the next after that with Allegra.

Bates Statham was an attractive man, just a year older than Allegra, but was one of the least-admired Victors because his win had been so lame. He was a master of traps, and escaped only making two kills at age fourteen. Since, he's been quiet and withdrawn, and he was no different when meeting the two newest Victors.

Before they could talk much, though, it was time to leave, and be whisked off to District Eleven. Riggs and June had zero time to talk about what had happened, by the time they were both changed, Ollie's rose put up in June's hair and Daria's rose pinned to Riggs's shirt, they were thrown in a jeep and taken to the Justice Building.

This speech was easier on Riggs. Daria had been a friend of Syca's, and Desiree's, but Riggs hadn't known her personally. He was surprised when he looked up and the only person standing on her podium was her mentor, Skeeter Hofstadter. Her own family hadn't come to the District... Riggs couldn't blame them.

Riggs knew that even if it was easier for him, it was much harder for June. She had abandoned Ollie, after all, and though she hadn't caused his death, they were still allies. Riggs knew that she was happy to have avenged him, even if indirectly. She still spoke so sincerely that Riggs thought she wrote the speech herself. She made even the cold words of the Capitol sound like a touching speech.

The mentoring room was much more somber than the District Twelve room, as Riggs and June had expected. Skeeter had a glass of whiskey in his hand from start to finish, refilling it the moment it was empty. The man that had escorted for this District was killed. It didn't sit well with Riggs, and he didn't even know the guy. He couldn't imagine how tense District Eleven's only two Victors were feeling.

Chervil tried to make friendly conversation, but his heart really wasn't into it. He did bring his pet turtle, though, and had a conversation with Vale about it that was slightly light-hearted. Soon, though, they had to say goodbye, as they were driven back to the station and sent back to their styling rooms for District Ten.

Riggs was nervous about this District, after everything that had happened with June. He was chosen to speak about Attila to avoid any outcry because of how June had disrespected him. Attila's rose was worn on his suitcoat, and Miya's was around June's wrist.

District Ten was slightly easier to manage. Neither of them had really known either of the tributes, and June held her tongue, not making any further comments about Attila. Riggs tried not to notice the boy that was probably his little brother, that covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut through her entire speech.

Afterwards, June and Riggs got to meet some of District Ten's Victors. Arthur greeted them warmly, apologizing for Roxanne's clear lack of tact. Riggs had always thought her to be the tough love kind of woman. Probably because she won the Games at age thirteen and wanted to rid the masses of any memory that she was once the scared young girl.

They also met Mika Wagner and Dahlia Parker, Victors of the 82nd and 99th Games respectively. Riggs heard them talking about training as he and June approached, which made June stop short.

"I knew that asshole was a true Career," she said, balling her fists. Riggs went to meet them anyways.

Mika was a kind woman that had a light in her eyes when Riggs said (out of respect) how strong District Ten's competitors were. She was proud of the fact that they were starting to train. And Parker smiled just as large when Riggs said that Attila fit right in with the Careers. He felt sick that they were training Careers, but it wasn't his place to say anything. He excused himself to find June again. They were equally glad when they had to be whisked off to District Eight, skipping June's home District until immediately before the Capitol.

Riggs didn't like wearing Ester's purple and blue rose on his shirt, but June had killed the girl. This was the same girl that almost killed him. He supposed if it had been any other Career he'd run into on his crazy death spree, he would be dead. He supposed he owed her something for not going through with the kill. Still, though, the thought made his stomach churn. June just looked plain sad to be wearing Semper's purple and red rose, but she wore it with a grieving pride.

June spoke first, while Riggs looked at the sad married couple and teenage girl on Semper's side. Only parents were on Ester's. He read the speech, again not paying attention to what the words were saying, right off the card. He didn't care much to talk forever about the girl that injured him so badly. Even if it wasn't totally her fault.

When they went back to District Eight's Justice Building, Riggs felt uncomfortable. Something about the way Tartan grinned as he shook both their hands. He looked at Riggs and proudly asked if Ester had left scars on him, clearly disappointed when Riggs said no. June was about to unleash on the man about how she'd killed his precious Ester, but Vale swooped in to divert the nutjob's attention.

Ant was solemn but he gave them both greetings and well-wishes. They also got to meet Kiari Thurston, Victor of the 103rd Games. She was very rarely in the limelight, as she'd given up mentoring after she mentored Tartan out of the Games. Riggs didn't blame her. She was a quiet and mousy woman, but still seemed somewhat kind. Riggs and June were once again saved by their schedule, bidding them all farewell as they had to arrive in District Seven.

Wait. District Seven? Riggs would be back talking to Tartan in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the time passing, he knew he would have to face his fate. And they were arriving early so he'd have time to give Camiella that autograph. It was a privilege that Gian and Jovia fought for, and Riggs was grateful.

Riggs couldn't help staring at himself in the mirror. His outfit for this stop was completely black. Black pants, shoes, black coat and shirt. It was a stark contrast from the colorful suits he had been wearing. The only color on his outfit was the green and yellow rose. That stupid cauliflower-looking rose that added such bright color to a black outfit.

June had her hand on his shoulder the entire ride in the van. The notecard felt like steel in Riggs's hand, Wolf's autograph felt like iron in his pocket. The crowd greeted them with subdued applause, but there was a look of respect on the faces of the people.

"I'll talk first," June whispered, as she received the plaque from the mayor. Riggs nodded thankfully.

June spoke about Persei first, sounding so eloquent and sincere. Riggs knew that he would have to say exactly what was on the card. The same speech, the same speech he'd given for the people he didn't even know, the people that had injured him. Riggs knew that he wouldn't be talking sincerely, he just hoped the people could see it too.

June was finished talking too soon. It was Riggs's turn. He noticed how full Persei's podium was, all with family. He noticed how small Syca's looked in comparison. He had met these people before, at the funeral. Surely they could see that the Victors had to say these stupid speeches...

With a quivering voice, Riggs read. He read as fast as he could, knowing that this speech was fake. It was all fake, it was all empty. These words weren't from Riggs's heart. He felt like he was going to explode, outburst and scream that these weren't the words he meant. This wasn't the way he wanted to pay respects to someone that deserved to be on this stage far more than Riggs did!

He felt June's hand lightly touch his back, which snapped him out of his thoughts. Riggs defeatedly blinked the tears out of his eyes, and finished the last few sentences that were written out for him to say, putting the card back into his pocket defeatedly.

The applause was quieter as they were escorted back to the Justice Building.

Before Riggs went back to where the Victors were, he waited in the main lobby of the Justice Building. Before long, Camiella appeared there. Riggs was struck, again, by how much she looked like Syca. Much sadder, though, and more tired.

"Hello," he said. She wiped her cheeks, already tear-streaked. "Long time, no see."

"It doesn't get any easier," she said. Riggs's heart was breaking for her. He really didn't know what to say.

"I'm so sorry for that speech... It was awful."

Camiella shook her head. "You have people to protect now. You do what you have to. I... Understand." She swallowed hard. "He wouldn't want you to throw everything away on his behalf. You came to his funeral..." she wiped more tears and sniffled. "I think that shows what kind of friend you are."

Riggs smiled a little bit, his own eyes tearing up. She was right. And she really did seem in better spirits than she had been when they'd first met. Things seemed to be getting better, which was all Riggs wanted for her and for her family.

"I know that you already met him and all... But..." Riggs produced the autograph from his pocket. "A promise is a promise."

Camiella took the autograph, her face turning red as another sob came out of her. Still holding the paper, Camiella threw her arms around Riggs, and he hugged back tightly. "Thank you," she said quietly, into his ear.

"It will get better," Riggs said quietly.

Camiella smiled and grabbed a couple guitar picks that were on a rope tied around her neck. One was initialed by SS, Scorpio Sangster, and the other was TM. TM? Nah, surely that was just an N, Thor Nazario. Riggs didn't really know a TM. Camiella squeezed the one with a T between her fingers and smiled slightly. "I think it will."

Gian appeared just then, looking apologetic. "We have to go," he said. "I'm sorry. We've stalled all we can."

Riggs gave a sad smile to Camiella. "I have to go. But... Don't lose hope."

Camiella sniffled and nodded, giving him a tiny smile. "I'm holding on."

Riggs waved as he hurried up to rejoin Gian and the rest of the team.

June and Riggs just had time for a glass of water before they were being changed for District Five, as they'd go back to District Six before the Capitol at the end. Both of his allies right in a row. Riggs wasn't sure if he could take it. How was he supposed to read such empty words about the one who had given his _life_ for Riggs's sake!? Riggs was proud to wear his rose, just as he had been at the pre-Games party.

June agreed to talk first again, speaking kindly about Dyna in a way that made it seem like June hadn't struggled a day, but also was grieving horribly. Riggs just didn't know how she did it. He read the words included for Joule, pausing when he forgot what line he was on and almost read the same one twice. In his pause, there arose a shout from the crowd.

"SHE'S A CHEATER! SHE'S GUILTY!" Riggs glanced up at the boy on Joule's side who was shouting. "RILAH CHEATED!"

Riggs felt his body freeze up. He almost responded, but he didn't want anyone or himself to get hurt. He put his eyes back on the card, found the line he had stumbled on, and continued reading where he'd left off. His mind was racing so much he could barely focus, and had to stop to refocus a couple times. Was he right? Was she not as innocent as she seemed? Not that it made Joule's actions right, but... He certainly wouldn't be the monster he thought he was.

Riggs was nothing but thankful the moment that the speech was over, and they were taken back into the Justice Building. Tim was the first to greet them, both with a large hug. They didn't have to talk to Kelly, as she was hiding under a table and Tim suggested they don't approach her. They briefly talked to The Victor of the 106th Games, but Rocket was mute and neither of the Victors knew how to sign. The room was too dingy for writing to be a good form of communication, so they just introduced themselves and left it there. Tim was happy to try and act as an interpreter, but not even he was great at signing, much to his frustration.

They were saved by the train... But Riggs and June were both dreading the same thing. How could either of them wear Nerio's rose?

~.~.

-June Fisher, 18, Victor of the 125th Hunger Games-

District Four was sunny and warm, if not a bit humid. The air smelled like the sea from the Town Square where they were... It was a pleasant day here in this beautiful district.

The fact that she didn't have to wear Nerio's rose made it even more beautiful.

Riggs was a sucker when he'd picked it up in the finale, and now he had to talk about the tribute he killed, even though June had been the main reason he died. It was like a tag-team. June felt bad that he'd have to talk about the man that killed both his allies, but she knew that he could do it, and stick to the card. If she were talking about Attila, she definitely wouldn't have been able to.

June read the card about Luna's while they were in the van, so that she could sell it on stage. June wasn't a huge fan of Luna, but at least she wasn't Nerio. Reading her speech on stage made June nervous, sure, but she got through it. Riggs, like every other of his speeches, had awkward pauses as he tried to read a word or two through his nerves, but still made it seem slightly convincing, though he mostly just sounded nervous. June knew this would be tough, and for the difficulty of the speech, he did a good job.

District Four's Justice Building was gorgeous. It had a fountain in the foyer and everything. It looked like a super nice hotel that June had only ever seen on television. The room was lively, as District Four had more Victors than any of those they'd visited so far. Michael smiled when they introduced themselves, but June could tell he would have rather Luna come home. Port was awkward, but June figured he was always awkward. It was especially awkward to meet the Victors that tag-team killed your tribute's chances at getting home.

Scarlett Espinosa, Victor of the 105th Games, made a point to strut over and greet them both with a handshake of iron. June had the feeling that they wouldn't really be welcomed back into District Four anytime soon. And she was a-okay with that, as long as nobody tried to kill her here. Eli Hathaway came over and held out his hand for June and Riggs to shake, also giving them an iron handshake. They were really tough here. June expected them to be far more laidback. Both o them were glad to be leaving District Four, and on their way to District Three.

Since Kaelys was June's ally, she would speak about the girl from Three, which meant Riggs would speak for Bec. If only the boy had just disrespected everyone he killed, then he wouldn't have had to speak about them. That was what June did. Obviously she half-regretted some of the things she said, but they were true.

June spoke first. Kaelys was very dedicated and serious, and June was sure that was what the group of teens on her podium wanted her to be when she spoke in her fallen ally's honor. The Capitol-provided speech conveniently left out the part where June abandoned her and Ollie, which had lead to her death.

Riggs spoke slowly, but genuinely. If only the Capitol speech wasn't so cut-and-dry. Maybe he would have actually made someone in the crowd feel something. He hurried through, stumbling on a word before finishing. June and Riggs were both glad to be out of there. The boy on Bec's platform looked too eerily similar to him for June or Riggs to be comfortable. And he and the whole family, and a group in the crowd, had the shape of an X painted on their face, June wasn't sure why.

Riggs asked Tav why when he came to shake their hand and he was wearing one as well. June was touched by the reason, although she felt like wearing it on their faces for all to see on the cameras wasn't a great idea. Tav had worn his on the outside of his hand, June had only noticed it when he reached out to shake hers. Probably smart, considering the family he has at home.

Ellie also shook their hands. She was quiet, shy, but seemed very kind. She and Vale talked a lot, she asked Vale about Mr. Turtle ( _damn that turtle_ , June thought, _it gets more attention from everyone, especially Vale, than I do!_ ) and how it felt to be retired. Tav was more than happy to answer any questions the two new Victors had, and June knew that he would be a valuable resource for mentoring, if he would share his expertise.

Soon, they were being sent off to the scariest District of them all: District Two. June wasn't sure how she felt wearing the gold and rainbow rose meant for Dania, but she wore it with a smile anyways. The District greeted them with enormous applause, more than any other District combined. It made it far easier to speak about Dania, even give a glance to the parents and older brother on her podium. Acacia's podium was fuller, and Riggs spoke about her well. It was probably the most eloquently he had talked this entire Tour.

June felt strange receiving bouquets of golden flowers from beaming, wide-eyed trainees, though. And the medals were a little much for her taste. She just smiled and received them with a grateful attitude, though, and so did Riggs.

District Two's Justice Building was even more breathtaking than District Four's. It looked like a castle on the inside, golden and elegant, decorated just right with only the most expensive furniture.

There were plenty of Victors there, all of them looking forward to meeting the tributes. (Well, except Pluto. They looked forward to tackle-hugging Demetrius and staying glued to him the whole time, before Demetrius introduced them to June and Riggs.)

Glaucia Sestus's handshake was even firmer and more unforgiving than Scarlett or Eli's from District Four. Her eyes pierced into June and Riggs's soul, and she could sense Riggs tensing up as she told them how nice it was to meet them. When Nona greeted them, she seemed subdued as compared to the badass she usually was on television. Vesperus gave them a smile as he said hello, but stayed curt. June was annoyed at how short everyone had been with them. It wasn't like they killed everyone in that Arena. They were just trying to survive.

Pit Kensy flipped a table, just because she could. The Victor of the 80th Games was sixty-three, but June was sure she could outrun (maybe even outlift) most of the people in the room. She wanted to be that old lady someday, honestly. Nikko, her husband, apologized for her actions, but still seemed totally smitten of his wife, and proud of her even though he was shaking his head. June kind of wished she had someone that would look at her like that too.

(She'd seen that look before, from... a guy she knew. But... Gah, it wasn't the _same_ look. Surely it wasn't.)

June was almost sad to leave District Two. It really says something if District Two is the most fun District for a pair of outlier Victors.

She really didn't want to go to One because she knew she'd be wearing Chance's rose. She had won rock-paper-scissors for it ("that's not a very mature way to honor the dead," Demetrius had said, but June fired back with all of his insensitive actions and he shut up). But Riggs had looked so sad about it, and he already had to wear Attila's, Nerio's, _and_ Ester's, so June decided it was her turn to take one for the team here.

It was hard to sound sincere about this, but June figured that it was only for a couple minutes, and this would probably be her only time to talk about him to the nation. She didn't want to be any more disrespectful than she already was. As a Victor, she'd found, friends were far more valuable than enemies. Riggs spoke well about Wicke, too. Neither of them felt much better to be presented with customized rings and plaques and flowers from a couple of starry-eyed kids, but at least they weren't getting spit on.

District One's mentor room was swarming with people. It was just as beautiful as District Two's, and even more ornate.

They met District One's most recent Victor, Clear Roberts. He was known for killing every single one of his allies in their sleep, and being scorned for it after getting back so badly that he was found and treated after an attempted suicide. He seemed tired, but friendly enough. They also met Miracle Hewitt, Victor of the 110th Games. She seemed bored when Vale talked about Mr. Turtle, but perked up when he mentioned that he was planning a turtle playdate with Chervil.

Cartier gave them both a kind fatherly smile and a handshake, giving Riggs a firm pat on the shoulder in congratulations. Blessing was also very polite, and a lot more welcoming than June would have expected a District One Victor to be. That wasn't saying all that much, though.

Soon, they were being called back, where they would go to District Nine, then Six (June had pouted that the sixty-nine wasn't real then, but nobody had filed a complaint on her behalf so they were stuck going in the wrong order).

Like Riggs's team had done for District Seven, June was wearing a conservative and simple black dress with a floor-length skirt and long sleeves, the only splotch of color on her being Jasper's rose. June wasn't ready to talk about him. Riggs was wearing June's rose, and rubbed her shoulder the whole way to the Justice Building. It seemed to be the only way they could comfort each other. Just a simple touch to the shoulder, meaning "I'm here, you've got a friend in me."

June had to be honest, she was afraid that Riggs would have moved on from her in their time apart, relied on Gian and spent all his time with his loving boyfriend and forgetting that he even had a co-Victor. June seemed to not be able to hold onto anybody in her life... What was one more getting away? She was thankful that Riggs seemed to have missed her. She wanted to be his friend, even if she wasn't great at showing it.

Standing up on this stage, in front of her people, was just as terrible as she thought it would be. The first time, it was exciting for her to be back home. Now, though, it was just sad and somber. She couldn't help but notice the various wacky squid hats that were worn by various people in honor of him, though. That made her smile, though she felt her eyes well up.

She tried to be as brave as possible as she gave her speech. Being brave was so hard. She was glad she'd said what she wanted to at the funeral, so now the people knew she was just posing, reading fake words off of a card. It hurt her to say such insensitive-sounding things, as much as she tried to make them sound sincere. She was so glad when her speech was over. Riggs seemed to notice the tears that were threatening to drip out of her eyes, and made his speech quickly as he could. June was grateful for that. The crowd applauded and thankfully, June hurried away from the faces of the people that should have been applauding for Jasper, not her.

She ran straight to Vale, who gave her a tight hug. Vale gave the best hugs. They were strong dad hugs, and they always reassured June. She knew she was going to be alright. Somehow. She heard Riggs shaking Prentice's hand, the two idiots acting like it was the first time they'd ever even seen each other.

"I don't think I've met you," Riggs said. "What's your name?"

"Oh, my name is Prentice, and, um, who are you sonny?"

 _Sonny_. June snorted at that. God, they were so stupid. Both of them.

"I don't think I've met you before, Princess," Prentice said, crossing the room to her. June sniffled and wiped her eyes. Prentice took her hand and kissed it, causing June to roll her eyes and smile.

"My name is Oliver Closeof," she said. "Nice to meet you, um, what was your name again? Major Dumbass?" Prentice and Riggs both laughed, and June grinned.

"Your parrot is freaking me out," Prentice said. "It keeps telling me I'm going to meet my doom."

June grinned proudly. She made eye contact with him and quickly looked away. "Really? That's strange. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It's time to go!" Jovia called cheerfully. June's spirits sank a little. They still had one more District and a Capitol party. Ugh.

"I'll see you in the President's mansion," Prentice called, as they walked out the door together.

"Bye asshat," June said, crossing her arms and hurrying after the escorts. She felt bad for such a terrible goodbye, but... Now wasn't the time for this. Not for any of this. They got on the train to go to District Six.

For this District, Riggs was wearing Desiree's rose, and June was wearing Riggs's. Riggs would speak about his District partner, and June was given a short speech to give about Riggs. Totally stupid, but he'd have to pretend she'd just given him an award for Best Man Ever.

Riggs got emotional speaking about his District partner, but held it together much better than June expected. She was almost hoping he wouldn't, just in case she couldn't hold herself together in her home District... Almost. He'd suffered enough this tour. June tried to take the speech seriously, but it was so superficial and he was standing right next to her that she couldn't help but try to hide back the laughter at how ridiculous it sounded. Riggs even let a humored smile slip. When she was finished, he gave her an awkward side hug and the crowd applauded.

The District Six room was pretty empty, considering there were only three Victors and Anatoly wasn't intent on talking. June left Riggs and Gian to do their disgusting thing, and instead just hung out with Vale. She didn't even introduce herself to Anatoly before they were put on a train to go to the Capitol.

For this party, the stylists went all out, but not until June and Riggs had eaten a sufficient lunch. The teams took hours to make sure June was absolutely pristine, free of blemishes, and looking stunning in her red and black dress. Her make-up had to be perfect, everything had to be perfectly in place. It was tedious, but it was far better than being dead.

They'd had plenty to talk about while they ate, but June was itching to talk to Riggs for real, without all the press and Capitolites around them. Wanted to know what he really thought. Eventually she'd get the chance. But not now, as they had just arrived and now it was time to please the crowd.

Jovia and Demetrius lead the way, linking arms, and June and Riggs followed. Gian and Vale were close behind them. June was sure he would have rather held Gian's arm than have June here holding his, but this was how they were told to enter. June was glad to have a friend by her side. She didn't know what tonight would hold, but she had a good support system behind her.

Riggs and June, as co-Victors, had the first dance to commence the festivities, and after that it was like the pre-Games party all over again, but tonight the attention was focused on just two, not twenty-four. June had many, many people ask her to dance, and for the first few she had no excuse to say no, that was until Vale found her and kept the older men away from her. She did grace him with a dance, though. And when she said grace, she meant it, because Vale had two left feet. He was terrible.

When younger men approached, he gave her a look to decide before making a choice. There were a few good choices, but she refused them all. She didn't want to dance with any of them.

When Prentice asked her to dance with him, she said yes. The music was quite lively and what was the harm in just one? Prentice wasn't a good dancer, and June had to lead him, but he could certainly pretend he was good. They spent half of the dance bickering about who was stepping on whose toes (and whose fault it was) and half laughing because of how ridiculous their bickering was. June hadn't felt this close to someone in a long time. It was a thought that excited her.

And terrified her.

After their first dance, the song slowed down like crazy. All around her, couples were coming closer, smiling up at each other in a way that disgusted June, and made her crazy jealous.

"Well, that was fun," she said, turning around to leave, but Prentice grabbed her shoulder. "June, wait. Please, may I have this dance?"

June felt her entire body freeze at the question. What the hell was he saying!? This... She... This was... This was... This was a couple's dance. He asked the question way too seriously to be true.

June saw Riggs and Gian, smiling at each other as their foreheads touched, looking into each other's eyes. Getting close to someone was such a big risk. June remembered what Lux said about the serum that was apparently pumped into them. She wanted to dance with Prentice...

"June?"

She quickly slid out of his grasp and ran, ran as fast as she could away from there. She didn't know where she was going, but she had to get away. She didn't want to hear the romantic slow mush, she didn't want to be in that room anymore. Tears prickled at her eyes, and June wasn't even sure why she was crying. She surely had no reason to.

She stopped when she got into the library, which was practically empty. She collapsed at a table and panted, wheezed as tears came pouring out of her eyes. She wasn't sure why she felt this way, but she couldn't stop the tears.

She buried her face in her hands, not giving a damn what was going to happen to her make-up. She hadn't been able to shed a single tear for any of them, and now she's sitting in the library and sobbing because a boy asked her to dance at a party. God.

She heard footsteps that she recognized and when she looked up, he was there. _Dammit, why is he here?!_ June thought angrily. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"There you are!" he said, hurrying to her side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," she snapped, curling into herself. _Why was she acting like this?!_

"June, I'm really sorry if I said something, o-or did anything to upset you-"

"You're chasing the girlfriend of a tribute that died under your mentorship!" she snapped at him again, sobbing quietly. "How could you do that?!"

Prentice softened at that. "June, I-"

"I just talked in memory of him and tonight you're going to ask me to _dance?_ " she stared up at him with fiery eyes. "To dance to the couples' dance?"

Prentice took a small step away from her, giving her some more space. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I don't know what came over me." June was quiet, but she couldn't help this feeling of anger that was pulsing in her. "You... It just seemed like... Maybe there was something there..." he said quietly.

"Still," she said, sniffling. She didn't want him to see her dribbling snot everywhere.

"I'm sorry... I just thought that you guys were done and just acting for the cameras."

"We... That's what it was."

"If that's all it was, you wouldn't be here."

June sniffled and balled her hands into fists. "That would be great for my public image. Girl That Cheated On Boyfriend That Was Accused of Cheating With His Mentor is Now Dating His Mentor. Really proves that the scandal is true."

"It's not."

"That's not what the tabloids will say. They're waiting to pounce on this whole us thing."

Prentice was quiet. "I'm so sorry. But... I have to know if you like me too June. Honestly. You and I... We're kind of hot and cold. Sometimes I think that we have something, and then... You push me away." He sighed quietly. "I just have to know. And if the answer is no, that's okay. I just... have to know the truth."

June looked up at the boy that was standing in front of her and suddenly realized why she was feeling how she was. And it was for many reasons.

She sniffled and squeezed more tears out of her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's not fair that I keep shutting you out..." She patted at her cheeks. "Every time I feel like I'm getting close to you, it just... Feels like I'm cheating on him all over again."

"Why?" Prentice creased his eyebrow. "If you were over and separated, just acting, and now he's..."

"Stop. I know that. The Capitol just put some crazy steroids in our systems before the Games, and I guess that's messing with my feelings."

Prentice's face fell, and June felt terrible for making him look that sad. "Oh."

"It's... Not your fault, Prentice. Honest. I just..." she sighed. "Serum aside... I'm a cheater. I act tough but I'm a scared girl. Y... You haven't seen that side of me, because..." June sniffled, and felt heat flush to her cheeks. "I was afraid if you saw who I really was, you'd leave, and stop caring, and I would just... Lose you. I didn't want to lose you because... I like you." She hated admitting it to his face.

Prentice wasn't smug, though. His face was soft. "You don't have to pretend anymore," he said quietly. "We all pretend to be stronger than we are. You're not alone." June sniffled and felt more tears come to her eyes.

"The answer to your question is... Yes," June said, sniffling and walking over to him. "But... I'm six months out of a death match, and I'm full of feelings that I don't understand and... I just really need you as a friend right now." She slid her arms under his to hug him around the middle. "I think we both need time before we take off with this," she said quietly, glancing at the light, sparse hickeys that were still on his neck.

"I have to fix myself," he said quietly. "You're right. I think... We both need time." He hugged her back tightly, though. It was comforting. "We need to be real with each other as friends."

June smiled slightly. "Let's give it a year or two. Then we'll reconvene, how about that?"

Prentice nodded. "Yeah. I would like that."

June's smile grew when she saw him smiling down at her. "Hey, what's on your tux?"

When Prentice glanced down in confusion, June stood slightly on her tiptoes and gave him a, gentle kiss on the lips, which he returned softly. It didn't last long, but it was worth it to see how dumbfounded Prentice looked. But smitten.

"Come on, let's get back to the fun. I hear they're bringing out the desert table now."

Before Prentice could remember how to form words, June was dashing to the ballroom, Prentice close behind her.

~.~.

-Cupid Demetriou-Lawrence, 28 Head Scientist-

Cupid was in the lab when he got the phone call he had been dreading.

One of the Capitol's top producers of fragrances wanted to buy the Q-serum. The Capitolites had been demanding the source of the tributes' romantic and sexual drive for so long that Cupid knew it was only a matter of time before someone would want to capitalize on the opportunity.

What they didn't realize was just how devastating this stupid Q-serum really was. They didn't see what it did to people. They didn't realize that tinkering with people emotions would have such an impact on their lives. They would never realize that the Q-serum was the biggest mistake of Cupid's life.

Now, it was popularized. The Capitol masses wanted a taste for themselves, they wanted to live in the pleasure of having an increased sex drive, increasing their romantic attractions... They thought it was a sweet and romantic thing, they didn't realize just how damaging it could be.

Cupid refused to sell it. He refused to let anyone as much as try to replicate it in the lab. He had it kept in a high security area. He couldn't allow his people to manipulate themselves: and each other: with the Q-serum. They would consider it a play toy, a love potion they could use to change someone's feelings. While it wasn't that powerful, and while it couldn't affect someone simply by being consumed (after all, it was a steroid), it was still a weapon that Cupid didn't want anyone else to have.

He wished he could reverse it. He had been spending so many late nights in the lab, so many that Numitor had started to worry about him. He had tried and failed, tried and failed, tried and failed. Nothing he could make was stable enough to have any impact.

The worst part was that he had knowingly injected it into the bloodstream of another person, another person that didn't deserve it. He had knowingly used his science to manipulate another person for his favor...

And that was exactly what he had promised Numitor he wouldn't do. He promised his step-son that he would be honest, and he broke that promise.

But he had just gotten Numitor to trust him, to open up to him. He wanted to be the father of Numitor, Aristotle, and Trixie. He had finally realized what was most important to him. He finally felt ready to take on these three rambunctious orphans and give them a home. It was what Leviticus would have wanted for him to do. He makes them happy, and now they make him happy too. He's so proud of them.

He was proud of Numitor for going to District Eight by himself to attend Semper's funeral. Now, Numitor was finally picking himself up, and continuing to live. He had played in his school's winter concert, and though he was on third trumpet, Cupid was still so proud of him. He was trying to make the best of himself, and that was what Semper would have wanted. Cupid and Numitor, they were picking themselves up. They were finally a _family_. Cupid had never had a family before. He was an orphan that made himself by stepping on everyone else's feet until he was at the front of the crowd. He never knew what it was like to have a shit day and come home to three kids that really adored him. He wouldn't trade them for the entire world.

However, this monster that was the Q-serum was tearing him apart. There was nothing he could do to reverse it, and there was nothing he could do to change the lives that it ruined. He wished that he had never made it. He wished that he had never used it to gain power. He wished that he would have failed. Maybe then he could have realized the value of the kids without being stuck in this pit of guilt.

He just hoped that now he could set things right. If he just told the truth, maybe they could all just move on. He would much rather tell Numitor now than have him figure out later on his own. The kid was so observant and bright, there was no way he was not going to find out some way or another.

After Cupid put Trixie and Aristotle to bed, he made some hot chocolate. Hopefully having something sweet would make Numitor more subdued. Cupid still didn't know the first thing about parenting, but he was really trying. He started with the basic questions: how was school, how are you feeling, don't forget you have counselling tomorrow after school.

"You're acting strange. Q... Are you alright?"

Cupid felt himself tense up, heart pounding. He couldn't sidestep it anymore. "Numitor, I have something to tell you."

Numitor frowned, clearly realizing it wasn't going to be good news.

"I... May have lied. About something important."

Numitor's face contorted. "What?"

"When I first agreed to be a Head Scientist." He sighed. "I was responsible for the steroids that were injected into the tributes to fulfill the twist." Numitor's face scrunched up. He hated to be reminded of it, Cupid knew. Cupid hated thinking about it too. "I'm so sorry Tor..." Cupid said quietly. God, he didn't want to tell him. He just felt so awful. He hated failing his children. And he had definitely failed, hard.

"What did you do?" Numitor asked, his eyes becoming glassy. "Please..."

"Before the Games... I promised you that I was going to be honest, not manipulate anyone." Cupid stared at the table. "It was a lie."

Numitor was silent. That was a bad sign, very bad sign. "You promised," he said quietly.

"You have to understand Numitor, I was taking a risky job, I just wanted to stay on everyone's good side... I gave Lux the serum. I wanted him to stay enamored with me so that my life would be safe."

"And now he's miserable, because you haven't found a cure."

Cupid shut his mouth. God, this kid was too smart.

"What about the escorts. And the mentors? What about them!?"

"None of them. The Q-serum didn't even come near the mentors or the escorts. They weren't injected."

"That had better be the truth."

It was. It really was. Cupid was tired of lying. He just tried to find the right words. "Please Numi, just stay calm. I feel awful about this, and I wanted to be the one to tell you. I know I was wrong. I'm trying to fix my mistakes."

"You promised me!" Numitor said, tears filling his eyes. Angry tears. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten angry at Cupid. "You _promised!"_

"I know I promised, and I broke it, and your trust. And I am so sorry, but please-"

"You really did break my trust. You broke my trust big. All that time I confided in you because I thought you really cared. That you cared enough to be honest with me. But you didn't."

"I do care, Numitor. I care about all of you."

"You care about the ones that are young and cute, perfect little dolls. What about me?! What about this broken person!?"

"Of course I care about you. Numitor, I promise you I will never lie or break a promise to you again-"

"Too late to make promises. You have a bad track record with them."

Numitor got off the table and ran for the front door, grabbing his coat and the key to his father's apartment before Cupid could stop him. Cupid buried his face in his hands numbly. This was all his fault...

Numitor wouldn't talk to him, or come back, until he was ready. Cupid pulled out his phone to text the first person that would keep Numitor safe.

.

The first text on Anakyn's phone read this way:

 _Anakyn, it's Cupid. I know you don't care much about me, but I know you care about Numi. He really needs you right now. He's at Lev's apartment. I fucked up badly._

The second:

 _Ani, it's Numi. I want on the first train to District Eight and as soon as I get home, I'm joining your cause._

~.~.

 _ **A/N: The plot thickens. There's only one more chapter of this story left! Gosh, I'm going to be so sappy next chapter.**_

 _ **Anyways, here's the six months later chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and it was worth the wait. I had a big dry spell, but tonight was an absolute flood.**_

 _ **Chapter Question: Are you aboard the future June/Prentice ship? Also, since a lot of WoF mentors were introduced here, which Victor(s) stood out in this chapter?**_

 _ **Hope you liked, I'll see you for the final chapter of this soon!**_

 _ **ALSO: WoF form is up, and so is the form for returning escorts! All escorts are welcome to return and I'd like to see many of them back and submersed one way or another in the subplot! So if you've got escorts and are still here reading, consider it!**_

 _ **That's it for real now. See ya soon!**_


	53. Epilogue V

_Six months and one day after the end of the 125_ _th_ _Hunger Games_

-Lux Hastings, Citizen of the Capitol-

Even with the lights dim, a hearty steak dinner from his favorite restaurant, and a cup of tea couldn't quell the tightness in Lux's chest. He had treated himself as reward for producing something that was making him even more nervous than he had been at the start of all of this. The stakes were just so high now.

Lux glanced at where his kitten July was sitting on the arm of his favorite armchair, waiting for him to go sit. The stress wasn't going to go away, but Lux thought at least he had a companion.

He was about to sit down when there was a knock on his door. It was so quiet and timid he almost didn't hear it. Could he ever have a day to just relax without talking to people? The Victory Tour was over, his job was done, for now. Now he was giving himself just one day before he got back to facing his stress. If he even could. He still didn't know.

Lux opened the door with a sigh, and was shocked to see his visitor. All alone, with a sweatshirt and sweatpants on, was Piccolo.

Lux's eyebrow creased in confusion. "Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Hello Mr. Hastings," Piccolo said quietly. "I'm sorry for bothering you so late, but..." they stared down at their feet. "I had to get out of the house and I just... Didn't have a place to go... Can... I come in?"

Lux's heart softened and he stepped aside. "Come on."

"Thank you!" Piccolo hurried into the little apartment. "I won't even talk or be a bother. I promise."

"Does your sister know you're here?" Lux asked, feeling concerned.

Piccolo hesitated for a moment, then shook their head.

Lux immediately felt ten times more concerned. Those two did everything together. Lux wasn't even sure he'd ever talked to one without the other.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, grabbing a blanket from his linen closet and wrapping it around the Interviewer's shoulders. "You two are inseparable."

Piccolo received the blanket by touching their lips with their fingertips and extending their palm towards Lux. He hadn't seen that too often, but he knew it was the sign for thank you. Then responded to Lux's statement with a shrug.

"You can talk Piccolo," Lux said. "It's okay."

Piccolo let out a breath. "We used to be inseparable," they said. "But ever since the Games... We haven't been talking much."

Lux frowned. "Why not? You two worked great together."

Piccolo's eyes, which were free of contacts, filled with tears. "On the cameras," they sniffled. Lux gave them a box of tissues that was sitting on his coffee table. "Off of the cameras... It's all different. Everything is different. Nothing will ever be the same."

Lux frowned. "Why? If you want to talk about it."

Piccolo sniffled and patted at their eyes. "Because I _failed_ , Lux."

"Wh-what?! That's absurd! You didn't fail..." Lux frowned. How could such a talented young person say something like that?!

"Do you know how many tabloids took pictures of me crying mid-interview!?" Piccolo asked, their voice much louder. "So many people took their guess on why I'm so upset. An interviewer is supposed to be positive, and _unbiased_!"

"You were unbiased..." Lux said, frowning.

Piccolo let out a small sob. "You know I wasn't!" They took a tissue and blew their nose. "Everyone knew I wasn't! Everyone knew I loved Ollie!" Piccolo sniffled and kept sobbing. "And I had to be excited with the family of his _killer!"_ Piccolo kept sobbing, and Lux frowned. His heart broke for them. Piccolo blew their nose and talked through hiccupping sobs. "I-wasn't-even on th-e serum!" they gasped. "I-j-just loved him b-y myself!" They sobbed louder. "H-e was on the se-rum and he didn't l-ove me!" Piccolo blew their nose. "It was so stupid of me to think I had a shot with him. He's from District Eleven and I'm a greedy, privileged Capitolite!" they sniffled. "He wanted Jacques, the boy who was also oppressed by me. He ne-ver wanted me. And he d-ied." Piccolo blew their nose and buried their face in the fuzzy blanket.

Lux was speechless. He had absolutely no idea what he could possibly say to comfort this poor, broken child.

"You didn't fail Piccolo..."

Piccolo sniffled. "I did fail! I failed and Viola didn't fail." Piccolo sniffled and wiped their eyes. "Our parents made that clear."

"They're wrong," Lux said forcefully.

"Our parents value success. And if you're not successful, you're not worth a single damn _cent_!" Piccolo sniffled. "They've called me the wrong pronouns for months."

"Wait... What?! Why?"

"They love having non-cis kids," Piccolo said bitterly. "They use respecting our identities as reward for success. If you succeed you get respect, and if you don't then you have to earn it or suffer." Piccolo sniffled. "They waited to change Viola's name legally until she got first chair in the Capitol Regional Concert Band. They refused to start her on estrogen until she got first chair in the State Jazz Band. That year she had a solo, and she froze up and flubbed it. They called and cancelled her first appointment."

Lux didn't even know what to do, he was so upset with himself.

"They've been calling me the wrong name for six months Lux," Piccolo said, fists clenched. "I always wanted to earn their love and respect, and _this_ is how I'm repaid. Viola succeeded, so her bottom surgery is on the calendar." Piccolo sniffled and patted at their eyes, looking angry and upset. Lux felt angry and upset for them. "Call me the wrong pronoun on purpose. This is punishment for my failure."

"Why isn't Viola standing up for you!?" Lux asked angrily. "That's...Unspeakable!"

Piccolo sniffled. "She is. She is. She knows they're fucked up."

"They're more than fucked up!" Lux said angrily.

"It's okay..." Piccolo said quiet, their eyes scanning the room. "What's that?" they gestured to the paper on the coffee table, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Oh that."

Lux looked at the crying child in front of him and knew that they were exactly why he was doing what he was doing.

"That's my letter of resignation."

"Your what?!" Piccolo looked over at him, shocked. Then the tears came back. "No... You can't... Why!?"

Lux sighed, those nerves and anxiety coming back and filling his body. "I just..." he sighed. "I can't do all of this again. I can't be responsible for the deaths of more children." He rubbed his temples. "Today the President said he wants me to keep making Arenas. But I can't do that. Not after this year." He sat down on his armchair and stroked July softly. "You know, my mother isn't a Games enthusiast, so you'd expect her to raise me to be aware. But though she was strong, she cared about reputation. She didn't want herself or me to be a target. So she raised me just like any other Capitol parent. I'm sure you know that it's just so engrained into our lives that we are taught to remain ignorant."

Piccolo sniffled a little, but nodded.

"I wish that I could say I was one of those people that just naturally knew that the Games were wrong. I wish I could say I was one of those people that was so morally aware that they just knew that the Games meant death, and pain. But I'm not a hero. I'm just a normal person that was played by the system. I was smart but that didn't matter." Lux looked back down at the letter. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty. My mother tried to talk me out of this position, after so long of pretending she loved the Games. I didn't listen. But now I know better. I can't do this all again."

Piccolo frowned at him. "But... We're all going to miss you!"

"I chose a tribute to save out of mid-air! I thought she was good but she was unpredictable and she could have easily just killed Riggs and been the most spiteful and uncooperative Victor Panem ever saw. I didn't make a very careful choice."

"But you made the right one!" Piccolo protested.

"Twenty-two still died!" Lux sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore. I need to retire."

Piccolo sniffled. "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, of course," Lux said, smiling slightly.

"The wedge between me and my sister isn't because of failure." Piccolo sniffled. "It's because she loves the Games, and I want to end them."

Lux glanced over. "Does she know this?"

"Hell no. She's riding high on her fame and is nothing but excited for next year's Games. I'm not telling her that. Because... the fame's gotten to her a little and I don't want to risk it."

Lux frowned. "I see. But... If you want to end the Games, why aren't you quitting?"

"Well... Tonight, after being called Operetta to my breaking point, I thought a long time about why I'm doing what I'm doing. Before, it was... I don't know. To earn love, and respect, to validate who I am. I found some sense of self-worth and security in the fame. I used the fame and power as a crutch, to reassure myself that I really matter. To make my parents proud, because this was what they wanted. But... Nothing good can come from that mindset. So I thought about quitting. But... Then I realized that I can use my fame for something else. I can take it and use it for what _I_ want, not what they want. And what I want is to make a lasting difference. I have fame and privilege, but I want to use it for good. If it means putting on a fake face, I'll get better at it. But I'm going to try to change the world, for Ollie's family and his little cousin, and all the other kids like them." Piccolo dabbed their eyes and cheeks dry. "I want to take it out from the inside."

Lux stared at the brave nineteen-year-old in front of him. They had grown so much in the year or so that Lux had known them. He wished they hadn't been forced to grow so much.

"I'm proud of you," he said finally. He reached over and patted Piccolo's shoulder, who gave him a small smile. Then, Lux picked up the paper and threw it into his fireplace, smiling as it burst into flames.

Piccolo looked up at him, a smile spreading across their face. "Do you mean..."

"You're right," Lux said. "Let's use our power to gut them from the inside. For Oleander, and all of the kids like him that have met their doom."

"We're going to be the first operating rebels since Bonaventure!" Piccolo said.

"Yeah!" Lux said. It was easy to feel excited about it now, but he realized that it was going to be a rough road ahead, and a lonely one of isolation and strife. "Well..." he bit his lip. "It all seems so good on paper, but Bonaventure had been killed for his actions, and disgraced, and tortured. Your parents..."

"I don't care what they think anymore. I'm Piccolo Wallace, and I don't need any of them. I'm fighting for Ollie."

Lux smiled a little bit. "I'm just worried that you might be hurt. We're both kind of young."

"If I die having made a difference in honor of Ollie, then I will gladly follow him."

"You're a brave soul."

Piccolo frowned a little bit. "Actually I'm terrified. Aren't you?"

Lux swallowed hard. He was such a lonely guy, he really had nothing left except for his mother and his cat. He knew he was pretty pathetic, still hyped up on the Q-serum and still a bit of a bumbling idiot, despite his formidable GPA and extensive education. Maybe this would give him the chance to fix what he did wrong, and change things: like, actually _change_ things. A legacy that would be far more fulfilling than the one he had now. A purpose that is actually _worth_ dedicating himself too. And if he could protect Piccolo on the way, allow them to be the voice and the face, and the instigator, then... That would be even better.

"Of course I am," he answered, finally. "But we're in this together. We are the roots of the cause and together we're going to do some damage they don't even see coming."

Piccolo smiled a little. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too." Lux stretched. "Now, I think it's bedtime."

"I should go back home..."

"Like hell you are. You're staying here. I've kidnapped you until you feel like you want your own apartment."

Piccolo sniffled and got up to hug Lux. "I'll take the couch. Thank you."

Lux hugged back, smiling slightly. "You're safe here."

"Piccolo Hastings," they teased, giggling.

"Don't push it." But he was laughing anyways.

~.~.

-Numitor Demetriou-Lawrence, Citizen of the Capitol-

Numitor practically fell to his knees at the grave. The snow seeped in the legs of his pants, but he didn't even care at this point. All that mattered was that he was here.

They didn't like the fact that he demanded the train after the sun had set, but Anakyn had appeared right on time to convince them to let them go. Ani spent the ride on the train trying to talk Numitor out of it, trying to tell him he was being too rash and this wasn't something to be taken lightly, nor was it something that could be taken back. He said he should think about it some more, but the truth was that he had thought about it. He had been thinking about it ever since Cerena pulled him aside at the party to talk to him about it.

It wasn't something he was doing just to spite Cupid. Q's confession just reminded Numitor how incredibly dangerous and dishonest the government was. As much as they wanted to keep him ignorant, his parents were never a fan of ignorance. It was one of the reasons he loved them so much. They never lied to him about things, even if they were serious. They never brushed him off as a silly kid. They told him the truth, even when it was hard. They loved when he asked questions about the world, about the government, about nature, about relationships. They loved to answer his questions, and Numitor always had a lot of those.

They were killed for what they believed. Numitor respected that about them, but he couldn't help but be angry about it at the time. They had left three kids behind. And while Numitor was glad that Cupid was finally going to be an honest father (maybe), Cupid wasn't his Mom and Dad. And never would be. And Numitor knew that Cupid felt the same way: Numi and his siblings would never be Leviticus.

There were just so many feelings and emotions flying through his head that he had to get away. Maybe this was drastic, but he wanted to come here, and provide a final goodbye to this place, just in case... Just in case the worst came true.

It was already dark outside, and freezing, but Numitor was finally by himself. Against his better judgment, Numitor took off his glove and put it in his pocket, just so that he could feel the carved letters on his fingers. The snow was going to start falling again soon, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was here.

"It's been six months," Numi said quietly, closing his eyes.

 _God, I look crazy,_ he thought. _Talking to myself in the dark in the graveyard. Have I really gone off the deep end?_

He blinked a warm tear out of his eye and felt each letter slowly graze his fingers.

"Six months since we met, and since you died." Numi sniffled, a shiver combining with a sob. "Six months since our wandering hearts met, and were torn apart." Numi's voice shook and he felt more tears coming out of his eyes.

"I don't know why I came here, but... I had to see you. I'm doing okay, though." He sniffled. "Cupid confessed that he lied to me, before the Games. He put the Head Gamemaker through exactly what you had to go through." Numitor sniffled. "I'm not sure you would ever even love me without the serum, but I sure do love you without it..." Numitor sobbed quietly. "Did." He let the tears roll down his cheeks.

"I'm coming here to tell you that I'm going to try and change things now. I thought about it for a long time. I... I know, er, I'm sure that, you would probably want me to be safe. I have two siblings that have lost so much already, and I wasn't sure if I could do this to them... But... I put a lot of thought into it and I can't just let my parents' legacy wither. And, what they did to all of you... I can't even imagine. But I'm going to know. Soon." Numitor blinked out some more tears, tracing the letters of his first name again.

 _SEMPER_

As if that would summon him, to listen to everything Numitor was saying. Something about it made him feel like he wasn't alone, though, so he kept doing it.

"You taught me a lot Semper. You taught me to listen to my heart and my brain. You inspired me. I know that a lot of people have already let you slip from their minds, but I simply couldn't do that. You're too important." Numitor shivered and sobbed at the same time. "I miss you so much. There was so much we never got to do together. I barely even knew anything about you, and..." Numitor balled his gloved hand into a fist, shivering. "Your life was stolen from you far too soon." Numitor sniffled and blinked out a few more tears, tracing the letters over and over again. "I've continued to live, because I know that was what you and my parents would want. And now I'm going to give my life a purpose, and it's all because of you. You are a part of me, and a part of my purpose."

Numitor blinked more tears out of his eyes. "I'm going early-admission to University," he said quietly. "Yeah, University in District Three of all places. It still blows my mind that I'm going to go so far away from home. But... I'll be back home in due time." He took a deep breath, more tears threatening to come out of his eyes.

"I came here because I want you to know that I'm okay. Not that you probably don't know that already... Heaven probably is omniscient. But... I want you to know that I'm going to fight for you, and... I just miss you so much and I wanted to be with you..." Numitor hung his head. He knew he was lying to himself. He wasn't really with Semper, he was at a graveyard with a lifeless corpse buried below him. He wasn't any closer to Semper than he was back in his father's apartment. No matter if he came to District Eight, he would never reach Semper.

And it was the fault of his own people.

Well... They weren't really his own people at all. He had no people. He wasn't a Capitolite. He wasn't a District person. But soon, everyone out there was going to know that he was both.

 _SEMPER_

"I'm nobody but you made me feel like I was everything. I will always carry that feeling." Numitor's fingers were numb, but he kept tracing the name. This was his last chance to say what he wanted to say before his entire life was going to change. Soon, he would have no alone time, and no secrets. "I will always hold onto that feeling. And I know that no matter what happens, you'll always be in my heart. My fellow star-crossed voyager, whose journey ended in tragedy and took a piece of me with him." Numitor sniffled and blinked more tears out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry. But I'm going to try to make it better for your friends and family." When he blinked his eyes again, he saw the snow start to fall in large, fluffy flurries, blowing across the sky.

 _SEMPER_

"I still have a piece of you," Numitor said quietly. "I tried to give it to your sister and she didn't let me. I hope that if I fail and die, I'll be holding onto it, because then I'll remember that I'm about to see your face again." Numitor could barely see because of the darkness and the tears that filled his eyes. "I'm scared, but you will continue to give me courage in all that I do, for all the rest of my days. You will always be with me, right with my parents. I hope they're not super embarrassing." He laughed a little through the tears, which were starting to freeze to his face in the cold and the breeze. "I never want to leave, but I have to. I have to go home and try to forgive Q. I want to be on good terms with him before I leave for school. I can't let anything left unsaid." Numitor traced the letters, trying to memorize how each of them felt under his finger, the same way he had tried to memorize what it felt like to hold him in his arms.

It felt too soon to leave, but Numitor had said everything he wanted to say. He felt sad to leave, but peaceful. Plus, he was fucking freezing, and didn't want to risk getting sick anymore.

"I love you and I'm fighting for you," he whispered. "Goodbye." Numitor stood up and gave one last look to the grave where such an amazing young man would forever be buried.

"Sweet dreams, my love."

Numitor sniffled and started back to the train slowly, where he knew that Ani would have some soup or hot chocolate made ready for him to warm up. He would have to get used to Ani taking care of him soon.

Numi got back to the train, where he was enveloped in a tight, warm hug from his escort friend, who had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a soft blanket ready.

The train started back for home, away from Semper's burial ground, but Numitor didn't feel like he was leaving Semper behind. He was taking his friend, his puppy love, his inspiration and purpose, back with him.

"Are you really sure about this?" Anakyn asked, looking concerned.

Numitor smiled peacefully.

"Yes. Send me in. I promise, my heart will go on."

~.~.

 _ **A/N: And so we've reached the end. I absolutely cannot believe that this crazy journey has finally come to a close. After 53 chapters of ups and downs, and every emotion under the sun. Before I unleash the sap, here's one last chapter question:**_

 _ **CQ: Well... I guess I'll just ask what your favorite part of the story was, now that it's over! Also, is there anything you think I could do better in terms of how my SYOTs are run for future stories?**_

 _ **I'm going to get really sappy and emotional now, excuse me.**_

 _ **This story was just such a blast, and part of the reason it was a blast was because of all the amazing characters I received. This story existed through a lot of really hard times, and it became one of the ways for me to express some emotions I was feeling when no other words possibly could. It was such an honor to be able to tap into each of these 24 amazing characters, and take all of them on different journeys that mirrored my own in ways that were uncanny. Through them I learned more about myself, which I wasn't sure I'd be able to do with characters that I didn't even make. Each of them had a different journey with different battles, but I felt like I was able to relate to each of them somehow. This story existed through the worst point of my life, but it was a way to turn my sadness into something happy. I would put it into the story, and you would all review and say such encouraging things that really made me feel less alone in this journey.**_

 _ **And honestly the story opened the door to so many friendships, inspired me to make my SYOT forum, and for that I will forever be grateful. I'm so grateful that I got to meet and talk to new people and strengthen my relationships with them so much that a group of us is going to make a terrible recording of My Heart Will Go On. I just have so many amazing memories about this story and the characters, and I honestly think it was my most successful work because it's among the best.**_

 _ **I am so thankful to everyone who sent in characters, and anyone that left a review of encouragement, you really motivated me to do my very best work on each and every chapter, and your love just means the world to me. I'm humbled by the staggering number of reviews on this story I chose to write on a total whim (of fate XD). And I'm so thankful for the lasting relationships I've made through this story and others. Thank you all for being amazing, and I hope to see you all submit to Whims of Fate: The 127**_ _ **th**_ _ **Hunger Games! The journey is far from over, y'all. I'll see you there soon!**_


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